


Rebellious Truth

by ToraLychsAO3



Series: Rebellious Truth [1]
Category: Persona 4, Persona 5
Genre: 3rd Semester, AU in which Maruki finds out about Yu, Act Therapy, Adopted Children, Amamiya Ren meets a past wild card, And Yu destroys him, Angst, Burn em Up, Canon-Typical Violence, Chaos goes down, Crazy Cat Person Yu, Dialogue Heavy, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff will also happen, I Blame Tumblr, I Don't Even Know, I have no sense of chapters, I'm Going to Hell, Light em up, M/M, Major P5R Spoilers, Mostly Maruki, Musical References, Not Beta Read, Other, Phantom Thief Yu Narukami, Phobias, Post P4D, Ren Amamiya is a little shit, Royal Spoilers, Ryuji is a Good Boy, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Third Semester Shenanigans, Timeline What Timeline, We Die Like Men, What Have I Done, YU YU YU, Yu Narukami Has No Chill, Yu barely restraining himself from breaking people, Yu bluntness Narukami, Yu doesn't have time for people's crap, Yu is an Aeon, Yu joined the Shadow Operatives, Yu loves cats, basically has any swear words you would expect to see in Persona, but he's confused about this, soon...anyways, what are these tags, why, yu has a lot of issues that he ignores, yu is gonna go through some shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:22:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 34,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28756569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToraLychsAO3/pseuds/ToraLychsAO3
Summary: Early 20s, gray bowl-cut hair, and gray eyes, unaffected by the actualization. Only one man fits that description: the Seeker of Truth, Yu Narukami.Otherwise known as Yu gets himself involved in the third semester.I shouldn't have to say this, but Royal Spoilers.
Relationships: Kujikawa Rise/Narukami Yu, Persona 5 Protagonist/Sakamoto Ryuji
Series: Rebellious Truth [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2108280
Comments: 46
Kudos: 70





	1. New Year, New World

**Author's Note:**

> “Better a cruel truth than a comfortable delusion.” ― Edward Abbey

**12/31, 2016**

_**Music: Any chill party music/Snowflakes, (P4)** _

* * *

"Man, Partner, you still as good at cooking as high school!"

It was New Year's Eve, and Yu and his friends were partying for many reasons.

The first was, well, it was New Year's Eve. And Yu loved a good party with his friends. Unfortunately, only Chie, Yosuke, and Rise showed up. But Yukiko and Kanji were busy, Teddie was...somewhere, And Naoto had to work because of the Phantom Thieves.

Speaking of them, The second thing was the Phantom thieves. They had plans to talk to the leader. His group was obviously Persona-users. After all, Yu had seen them save Christmas. With Satan. And A gun. Of all things. 

Even if Yu was somewhat eff-ly on the means, it was A Persona-based incident, and they had to do what they had to do. And Ren... The leader. He was definitely a wild card. 

And then there was Goro Akechi... He admitted to being the true cause of the Shutdowns. Why? He wasn't sure.

Even with Yu's professional in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy _(It will be called ACT from now on),_ it didn't make sense.

"Yu, are you heading to the shire tomorrow?" Rise asked.

Aww... Rise. He had Married Rise in 2014. Rise worked well with him. They just synced. He's so happy. And he's so nice to Rise. And Rise is so nice to Yu. All though Rise had to move a lot because of her Idol job, they still talked over the phone.

"Yeah." Yu brightly smiled and nodded back at Rise.

"What are you gonna wish for?" Yosuke asked after finishing a donut.

Yosuke was now running the Junes back in Inaba. He had successfully kept the local shop's running, In Saki's Legacy. He had taken the day off so he could see Yu.  
"Why would I tell you?" Yu jokily teased him.  
"Well, I know! I want more meat!" Chie ate a whole plate of meat.

Chie became a police officer because of her disrise to protect others. Yu was pretty happy with his friend's choices.

"Oh, of course." Yosuke deadpanned. "Well, It's a shame we have to get going in about an hour."

Yu frowned.

"Oh yeah." Yu sighed. "But it is what it is. Thanks so much for coming!"

"Yeah, of course, ~!" Rise smiled back.

Yu slimed back. Now, this was what made him the happiest. People, friends, parties, anything social. That was who he was, and there was no changing it.

Yu made sure to see them out and waved goodbye. Rise had to head to another town, and Yosuke and Chie were heading back to Inaba, to which Yu gave Yosuke some Kuri Kinton he made for Nanako.

"Happy new year, guys!" He said as they left the building.

Yu's apartment was a simple, clean, white, yet homely place. The table at wish they had eaten at was a tan-ish color, the chairs having the same color. The kitchen was a clean, silver-gray, like his hair.

And he put himself into bed, after texting Dojima and Nanako a happy new year, happy with the day, and year in general.

The world didn't end. That was the highlight.   
Dec 24th was crazy. Yu knew what was going on but couldn't do anything about it. The things that had risen out of the ground had trapped him on a train. 

But it had turned out well, and while no one seemed to remember the day, he knew the Phantom thieves did. So as long as he could contact them at some point, it would be all good.

* * *

**The new sun begins to don around the new year...**   
**It's**   
**1/1**   
**2017!**

* * *

Yu had started the day off by texting the IT members and Nanako a happy new year. He then headed off to do his New Years' things. He was wearing a black peacock with a white scarf.

Then he went to give the leftover Kuri Kinton as an offering To Meiji Shrine. For some reason, there were few people there, which didn't make any sense, because it was usually busy at this time of year. His vision also seemed to blur, a lot. Might need to get that checked out

Regardless, Yu wished.  
"Gods watching above us, I wish to continue to protect this world the best I can. Please take this offering."

Yu walked off, but he couldn't help but exchange a glace from a young boy with a spiky black hair-cut. There was something about him... but Yu couldn't pinpoint it.

The boy smiled back, and Yu smiled at him too as he headed home.

"Who was that?" A red-haired girl said.

"I don't know. He had something about him. but I'm not sure..." The boy said.

* * *

Yu was a Therapist. So, of course, he wanted to make sure his clients were okay. The New Year could be a time of distress for some.

First up, Shiho Suzui. She had been moved from Shujin Academy after she recovered from her coma. Yu had ended up as one of her Therapists. A good part of why Yu was working with her was because she was a victim of Kamoshida, the first target of the Phantom Thieves.

_Yu: Hey, Suzui-san. How are you doing?_

  
_Shiho: Narukami-san! I'm good._

  
_Yu: That's good. Anything else you want to say?_

  
_Shiho: I plan on re-transferring to Shujin in the next school year!_

  
_Yu: Well, why?_

  
_Shiho: After begging my parents, they said I could do back after transferring school because of my parents moving away._

* * *

**_Music: Suspicion (Persona 5)_ **

* * *

  
_Yu: Hey, if there's something on your mind, you can tell me._

That wasn't right. She had moved to cope with the abuse of Kamoshida, not because of her parents.

_Shiho: No, I'm happy. I get to go to school with Ann again._

_Yu: Well, is that for the best?_

_Shiho: Well, of course!_

_Yu: Are you sure you're not running away?_

Yu was an Acceptance and Commitment Therapist, to be exact. It was a mindfulness-based therapy in which it focuses on encourages people to embrace their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them. For **fairly clear reasons** , Yu was good at this. He also did do Cognitive behavioral therapy, though not as often.

So this didn't make any sense. 

_Shiho: No! What do you mean by that?_

Something was wrong.

_Shiho: Huh? That was weird..._

_Yu: Hmm?_

_Shiho: Nevermind._

_Yu: Okay...well, I'll see you next session._

_Something was terribly wrong._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I SUCK AT THE FIRST CHAPTERS!! AAAAAA!! AND HAVE NO SENSE OF CHAPTERS AT ALL!
> 
> It'll probably get better as we keep going.
> 
> Anyway, this was an idea I had for a while.
> 
> It's implied that Yu moved back to Tokyo, so he would around for Dec 24th.
> 
> When Maruki took over, there's no way he could have know that someone who was devoted to the truth was in Tokyo. Not all people within Maruki's reality were affected right away. Yu has the Orb of Sight, which would make it really hard to affect him. I mean, that's what blasted Izanami's fog and revealed her truth from (hehe). Now you try to make a 'perfect' world, something that she was semi doing? Yeah... sorry. Your gonna get Yu'd.
> 
> Oh, Yu's chat color is gray.
> 
> This was originally gonna be called Nothing more than a pathetic pile of lies, but I decided Rebellious Truth, because, well, that's how Yu will evenly feel like.


	2. Coffee and Fuzz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu gets a coffee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this back to back with the last charapter, so... here you go:

_**Music: Who is there?/Who's there? (P4)** _

* * *

_Yu: Hey Yosuke?_

  
_Yosuke: Yeah?_

_Yu: Is everything normal there in Inaba?_

  
_Yosuke: Aside from the fact your not there, yeah._

  
_Yu: Okay. Thanks. I got worried._

  
_Yosuke: No problem._

Yu put away his phone. Was he just paranoid? What happened to Suzui-san? Was it just her? 

Yu's gut was firing off, saying something has happened to the world. Nothing felt right. Yu was going on overdrive, like when he went back to Inaba and the Midnight Channel had its Arena.

 ** _No_** , this was supernatural. He needed to figure this out. 

So he went and talked with the people near his house. They all seemed overly happy. Like they had no issues. And fuzzy. Like he had double vision. Buildings that weren't there were there, people ~~and cats~~ who should be dead were alive again.

Yu... was... well... freaking out.  
Was this the fog all over again? But there was no fog, anywhere. What was going on?! Why?!

  
Yu sighed. He would look into his fully tomorrow.

* * *

**1/2 2017.**   
_**Music: Restlessness (P5)** _

* * *

"What alternate universe did I just walk into?"

Yu had decided to go get a coffee before he looked at what was going on. He had been to Le Blanc before and decided to stop there. And when he walked in, that's what he heard. There we a few people sitting at a table eating food with ~~"coffee dad"~~ Sojiro Sakura, and the same black-haired boy he same at the Shrine the other day.

"Oh, is this your first gag of the new year?" The Woman with glasses said.

"Are we open?" Yu smiled at the group.

"Well, what are you here for?" Sakura-san said. "If it's quick, then yeah."

"I'll just get a coffee. Black, no sugar." Yu replied.

"While you're at it, get me one too." A boy with blue eyes walked down the stairs and said. Was his double vision that bad, or why did he see a cat in place of the boy? Sakura-san got up and went to work. Yu sat down at the bar and waited, although he couldn't help but eavesdrop on the conversion behind him.

"Hehe, Drunk on the spirit of the new year already, Ren?" The orange hair girl gleefully said.

"I must be drunk on something because I'm seeing things that shouldn't be here!" "Ren"-san said. Wait... Ren...Amamiya! Hey, the leader of the Phantom Thieves! Nice to know he's here.

But what he said... Worried Yu...

"Don't try and prank Wakaba. " Coffee dad said from behind the counter "It'll only blow up in your face." He handed Yu his Coffee.

"Gh...Sorry, I don't feel too good." Amamiya-san put his head on his hand.

"You've been like that since Yesterday,." The blue-eyed boy said. Yu took a swipe of his coffee.

"Good Morning, Mona." Wakaba-san said.

"Morin'!" Mona-san replied in a cheerful tone. "Do you think there enough osechi left i can have?"

"Morgana? That's you?" Amamiya-san said, quite confused.

"Seriously, are you all right?" Morgana-san softly whispered to him.

"I don't think I am..." 

"Why don't you head outside and take some fresh air?" The young, orange-haired girl suggested.

"I think I will." Amamiya-san headed outside.

"I'll guard your food!" Morgana-san yelled out. Yu finished his coffee and paid Sakura.

"I'm off now. Thanks, Sakura-san." Yu hopped off the chair and headed off.

* * *

**Music: Ferrofluid - Theme of Reality (DM DOKURO)/Silence before the Storms (DM DOKURO, Terraria Calamity mod)/So happy World (P5R)**

* * *

Yu stepped outside, the cold air hitting his face. He wasn't sure where to go next. He could head to Kichijoji, Odaiba, anywhere, really.

In Kichijoji, other the toxic happiness and fuzziness around the buildings, to which Yu finally snapped, ran home and grabbed his glasses.

* * *

**Music: Stop.**

* * *

And revealed a huge tower in the sky. It was a large, towering structure of glass and gold.

* * *

**Music: Who is there?/Who's There? (P4)**

* * *

"Oh." Was all that came from Yu's mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story may not get updated all that often, as it's more of a coping-writing thing for me.  
> And next chapter will likely be bigger than them all so far, because... I have no sense of chapters.


	3. Tower to the sky.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ~~~~  
> Previously:  
> Yu: Coffee. Give me Coffee.
> 
> ~~~  
> This chapter:  
> Yu tries to be a Phantom thief... with mixed results.  
> ~~~~

* * *

_**Music: To Another World (P5)** _

* * *

Yu rushed toward the building. Hidden? Check. Huge? Check. Likely the reason behind it all? Check.

It was in Odaiba. Of course, it was.

Yu spotted a young girl with red hair near the location of it on the phone. Looking at it.

 **"Senpai!?** It's Yoshizawa! I'm In Odaiba right now, and... _uh_... let me just describe it to you. It's faint, but that "Palace" thing is here! Can you get over here, please?"

She could see it. _Why?_ Was it just some people? How did he get in? Who was causing this? _Hmm..._ Well, whatever was causing this, was gonna get what was coming to them.

Eventually, Amamiya-san and _**Goro Akechi,**_ _of all people_ , came _(The girl even was shocked)._ Yu simply stayed hidden and listened.

"First a dead woman comes back, and now this Palace... _Very interesting._ " Akechi-san pondered.

"Akechi-san, you know about Palaces?" The red-haired girl said.

"I happen to have the same powers as Ren-san." Akechi-san calmly replied

 **"Really!?** Does that mean you're also a-"

"Let me stop you there. I'm not a part of the Phantom thieves." Akechi-san butted in. "However, since you seem to know the concept, you're a fellow Persona-user, correct?"

Yu was fully ready for that, and also not. You would have been hard-pressed to tell him otherwise, but at the same time, he might believe you.

_"Umm..."_

"You can tell him," Amamiya-san said to the Red-haired girl.

"Yeah, although, I'm also not part of the Phantom thieves. I just happened to slip into this Palace with Amamiya-senpai and Morgana-senpai no too long ago." So, Morgana-san was also a persona user? Good to know "But what could be the meaning behind it showing up here?"

Yu had already collected the dots. The "reality" was being caused by that "Palace" Thing. Yu **unquestionably** felt he had a lot to learn, though.

"Since nobody seems to know it's here, We must be the only ones able to see it's here," Akechi-san said. Yu had to resist laughing. "That, or they do see it and don't care."

"Like there cognition has been warped, _again_?" Amamiya-san said with a bit of an annoyed tone at the end.

"Exactly," Akechi-san replied.

"I asked some people close by, and they don't care about it." The red-hair girl added.

"Rather than simply hypothesize out here, we may be better taking action," Akechi-san suggested.

"You mean, go in?"

"Not only can we see it in reality, only we seem to care about it. While I have no proof, I think it's highly likely it's related to our situation. Wouldn't be better if we just went inside?"

"If we can." Amamiya-san pulls out his phone. "Yep, we can."

"I thought it was gone for good, but it seems we can use it again."

"I have it as well."

Yu decides to take out his phone, and _what do you know,_ there's a weird black and white eyeball app now on his phone.

"Is there a search history?" Akechi-san looked to the red-haired girl

"How do I check... **Oh** , here we go! _Oh_ , it's..."

"The name portion is missing somehow. Could this be the doing of the Palace's Ruler?"

"Does that mean we can't go in?"

"No, I think we can," Amamiya-san said. "Let's go."

* * *

_**Music: Gentle Madman (P5R)** _

* * *

  
Unaware, They brought Yu with them. Yu lucky landed on his feet and instantly hid. He listened in, although said people were wearing... _ **costumes**_? Was this just something they had to wear, like the glasses in the TV world?

Whatever the case, Yu would get his answers, like he always had.

The group walked up and onto the elevating, And Yu waited before doing that. While he noted he couldn't summon his persona, he definitely felt it there. He did wonder why, but it wasn't time for that. Worst comes to worst, he could join forces with the other group. Just simply knowing his Persona was there was good news.

After the elevator ride, the interior resembled a mental health center, something Yu would know fairly well. It was really white... **REALLY WHITE.** And gray. There were a few spots with teal wires. The people there were simply like dolls: Black and grayed out. Overhearing, they said things like "I'm so happy!" Or questioning where anyone who comes here could become happy ~~(Yu whispered to him, "Happiness is earned).~~ So the cause of the outside problems? **Almost yes.**

Yu wandered around, hiding behind things to avoid other people, until a lanky, purple and black, vaguely humanoid figure approached him, wearing a turquoise and white mask with black spirals and a pale blue spot on the side. Both Yu's gut and Persona were screaming at him: **"Shadow."** No wonder why his gut was already screaming at him from entering this place!

Unlike most shadows, however, it talked and didn't attack Yu right away.  
"You seem to be lost."

Okay, it was talking. Maybe it could be reasoned with?

"Um, yeah. I'm looking for the person who runs this place. Could you point me to him?" Yu scratched his head, trying to look confused to the best of his ability.

"Our Lord only sees special plaints, but I could still bring you to salvation." It said in a dark, deep voice.

"Umm..." _**Lord? Salvation? What?**_ "Sure?" Yu coughed out. The shadow walked somewhere and Yu followed, finding himself at an Entrance hall, later walking into a door in front of a heart with dials turning it yellow randomly. He ran and hid from the shadow, walking in from a different door into the room.

He breathed in... _and out_... It had been a while since he had done this, 3-4 years to be exact, as well as only have his Persona as a guide and gut feeling, no psychical help. So... someone was running this place. A shadow, god, or a person. They were the likely causes.

Walking forward, he dodged and avoided those after him, and it was _not easy_ , but it had been a while since he had to fight like this.

* * *

**Music: Stop**

* * *

At some point, he opened a door and landed in a track test room, at least, it looked like it, with all the trackmakers, rails, and letters. But in the middle of the room was a stadium. All Yu saw was the back of it and heard a girl talking.

  
"My Younger sister!" The girl sounded lively and radiant." She should be here in the stadium... Oh, **there**! Sumire! I did it! Both of us have the same goal! Becoming International Champions! **Together**!" The voice was happy, passionate, and NOT distorted, giving Yu just a miniature section of hope...

* * *

**Music: Who's there?/Who is there? (P4)**

* * *

  
"I really hoped this helped you understand."

Until a man's voice came over an intercom.

"If you keep driving on like this, all your going to find is pain."

Yu didn't care about pain, that just made no sense at all.

"Please, stop opposing this and just return to the "Current" reality?"

_**Oh, so he was causing this!** _

"And while I'm not sure how, That also induces you too, Narukami-san."

* * *

**Music: High Pressure (P5).**

* * *

**Oh**.

**well shit.**

He was fully aware that he was crawling around in here. So Yu shouted to the heavens. "Hell no! I'm not going back to that... _**fog!**_ Just show yourself already!"

After a grunt, he said "As you wish. Head on down. I'll be waiting for you all there." and disconnected.

 **"Narukami-san! Whoever you are, Show yourself!"** Akechi-san roared out.

* * *

**Music: Butterfly Kiss (P5)**

* * *

"Looks like I've been found out." Yu walked toward the Akechi-san and the group. "I'm Yu. Yu Narukami." He bowed.

 **"Why are you in here?"** Akechi-san growled at him.

"You don't think I would try to solve what was going on in the _"real"_ world when I saw a giant tower?" Yu replied calmly.

"You can see what's going on?!" The red hair girl said, shocked.

"Buildings are fuzzy, people ~~and cats~~ are there that shouldn't be, my patients suddenly stop having problems, ~~my sick cats is no longer sick,~~ yeah, I can tell. My vision is taking a troll from this" Yu nodded back.

"You said patients, what do you mean by that?" Amamiya-san asked.

"I'm an ACT Therapist." Yu clarified.

"Well, how the **hell** did you not get attacked?" Akechi-san scolded him.

"Shadows? I think that's what they're called, you know those weird blob people? I can kinda determine where they are." Well, Yu knew why, but don't want to give that away, yet. Especially when he didn't know everyone in the group. "So, I'm able to elude them."

"Do you know why?" Akechi-san asked.

 _Again_ , he knew, but couldn't give that away.

"No, I don't." Yu lied. But at the same time, he didn't know why Izanagi was just giving him Navi abilities. Maybe it had something to do with the place, and that this was different than the TV world?

"I have a theory, but for now, follow us. I assume you don't want to go back?" Akechi-san said with a snarl. Dang, he was vicious.

"Yeah. Do you have anything I can defend myself with?" Yu shouted at him, and Amamiya-san tossed him a simple, iron claymore. Yu looked it over, smiled, and said "Thanks." it was time to get back in the grove. He had sorta missed this, now that he was thinking about it.

"Also, who is she?" Yu looked at the red-haired girl.

"Kasumi Yoshizawa. Nice to meet you, Narukami-san!"

_Ummm...wait, wasn't..._

_Well, it didn't matter._

* * *

_**Music: Gentle Madman (P5R)** _

* * *

When Ren felt the security level rise, he wasn't sure what it was.  
**Definitely** did not think it was gonna be someone who got in the Palace by himself.

Yu Narukami-san was a unique boy. He was around 21,22 in age, looked like he was 18, yet had gray hair in a bowl shape and gray eyes yet weren't blind. He was wearing glasses that he and Kasumi-san ~~ _(maybe)_ ~~had tried on before, and was wearing a simple peacock.

He was quite surprised by Narukami-san's ability to detect shadows, as he knew Shadows were waiting with the Palace Ruler.

It meant that Narukami-san had already triggered a part of his Persona. _If the phantom thieves were a matchbox, and the fire was the rebellion, then all that would be needed would be a way to lit Narukami-san's match completely, and he could toss the match into the fire._

It would definitely be a bit weird, having an adult on the team, but things were so weird right now, he didn't really care.

And speaking of that ruler...

* * *

_**Music: Borderline of Madness (P4D ver)/ Derises (P5)** _

* * *

  
_"It's Been quite a while, hasn't it?"_

**"Dr. Maruki!?"** Yoshizawa-san said, a bit disturbed by this. Maruki... Another therapist... Yu was pretty positive. He looked like it, anyway. Yu was a bit more horrified by the fact he was just human.

"Glad to see your all well," Maruki-san said. "I pretty much figured you would end up here. Truth be told, this isn't how I hoped we meet again."

"Umm..." Time to be blunt, "I don't think we've met." Yu stated.

"Dr. Maruki... You're the Ruler of this Palace?!" Yoshizawa-san just Overlooked Yu.

 _"Palace?"_ Maruki-san tilted his head.

"A place where distorted desires manifest. We're asking if you're the cause of the tower here." Akechi-san explained. Yu finally got an answer, _yay_.

"Ah, well, yes. I am this Palace's Ruler." Maruki-san calmly answered. "Though, it seems a tad different from the ones you're used to."

"So, are you causing the illusions outside of this place as well?!" Yu spoke up.

"Well, yes, but it saddens me when you say their lies-"

 **"Well, that cause that's what they are!"** Yu interrupted him.

 _"Narukami-san,_ calm down. Though, I can't really blame you." Akechi-san said and grumbled something under his breath. Yu felt his face get darker.

"As I was saying, do you like the reality I made?" Maruki-san continued.

 **"You made it?!"** Yu shouted out. "That's like... _ **the power of the gods right there!"**_

"As confusing as it seems, I've gained the power to alter reality... to make it whatever people wish for" Maruki-san smiled.

 **"And you never once thought about where it came from?!"** Yu yelled.

"You can see how the world bestowed this power on me. At any rate, our cruel and unforgiving reality will change, including Yoshizawa-san's awful past."

Yoshizawa-san seemed taken aback by this and questioned it with "My...past? **What do you mean?! What's happened to me!?"**

"I had hoped that everything I did would change your minds. But, _if you wish,_ then I want you to recall who you are. Once you do, choose between the two realities: The one I've made, or the cruel one." Maruki ~~_(Yu's dropping the san now...)_~~ snaps his fingers and a screen above flashes with a countdown with the numbers moving like there was in the water.

* * *

_**Music: You Are My Burden (P5R)** _

* * *

  
On the screen, a young girl with her hair in a ponytail and holding an umbrella and looks at the camera.

"Today was Brutal, huh?"

She turns toward the camera and says "You okay?"

The camera shakes a bit, and a voice from offscreen replies in a depressed tone, _"It's not that..."_

The camera blinks and shows a person holding an Umbrella. "Why am I doing so bad?" The voice asks. " I keep messing up my Routine..."

The ponytail girl walks up to the camera and the camera pans up to her.

"Your growth spurt just changed your eye level." She says as she smiles. "You'll get used to it." She puts her hand on top of the camera "Look! You're as tall as I am now!"

 _"We practice the same, but you're the one who always gets first place."_ The voice says as the camera pans down. _"I can't catch Up to you, Kasumi..."_

"You know why?" The camera pans back up to Kasumi-san placing her hand on her chest, and then her face. "Because it's my right as the elder sister."

_"We're in the same grade, though."_

"Aw, don't be so down."

The camera changes to a face-up of Kasumi-san looking up at the sky. "We'll reach the top of the world together! That's our dream, right?"

_"You don't get it... **You'll never understand how I feel**."_

The camera changes to a red-haired girl wearing glasses. She runs forward.

_"Kasumi... if I were like you... things would be so much better."_

  
**"Hey, wait up!"**

  
_"Kasumi's the one that people want..."_

  
**"Look where you're going! The light's red! Hey!"**

  
_"The talented one who CAN reach the top of the world"_

  
**"Sumire, stop! Listen to me!**

**"SUMIRE!"**

_**CRASH**!_

  
Kasumi-san lies down, bleeding from the head, as Sumire-san looks in horror.

The Yoshizawa-san sitting down in front of Yu had her gear disappear in a flash of blue fire, and her ribbon in her hair unties itself. Seeing the pain in her face, Yu moves down to support her.

From behind, Amamiya-san mouthed a loud whisper...

_**"Sumire?"** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the funniest things about this is I get to rewrite the dialog. And Ren. God, I'm gonna have a fun time writing Ren.
> 
> Fun fact: I allactly wasn't too shocked by Kasumi being Sumire. To me, it was just kinda... there. So if it isn't as powerful as it is in the game, sorry about that.
> 
> I also like to imagine that when Yu said "Well, that cause that's what they are!", Goro had to hold him. Goro And Yu are gonna have a pretty interesting relationship.
> 
> As of this chapter, I have written a good part of the next one, and I'm looking at it now and...
> 
> Why do all my fics get way better by the 3,4, sometimes 5th chapter? Help
> 
> Edit: Fixed a date issue.


	4. Don't stop me now!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ~~~  
> Previously:  
> Palace: *Exists*  
> Ren: Oh no.  
> Yu: Oh yes. *yeets into the palace*  
> Akechi: Who the fuck is he?  
> Maruki: It doesn't matter, I made the reality outside, here's Sumires past!  
> Yu: Dude, what the f u c k.  
> ~~~
> 
> This Chapter:  
> Yu And Akechi boycott against Maruki. And Yu... well... gets vocal.  
> Or:  
> Markui: Hello-  
> Yu: So you have chosen death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't care what you think  
> As long as it's about me  
> The best of us can find happiness  
> In misery  
> I said-a I (I!) don't (don't!) care what you think  
> As long as it's about me  
> The best of us can find happiness  
> In misery  
> \- Fall Out Boy, I Don't Care.  
> Note: A bit more swearing in this chapter.

* * *

**Music: Regret (P5)**

* * *

Normally, most people would be angry at someone for revealing their past they didn't want to see, and Yu was indeed this toward Markui, but he was a Therapist, so the impact wasn't too huge on Yu, but still... As a Therapist, you shouldn't do that.

As for Yoshizawa-san... it was hard to say. Yu had had some cases when one's trauma caused them to black out something, but those were few and in between. It was hard to say if that was what was going on.

But first things first: Making sure she's okay.

And Yu was going to do that until Maruki spoke up. "Seems you remembered" Yu had to resist the urge to yell in his face.  
Yoshizawa-san stood up and slowly said " _That's right... I'm... Not Kasumi..._ "

  
"The Girl named "Kasumi Yoshizawa" is currently deceased," Akechi-san added.

"It was last spring..." Yoshizawa-san started, "before I started going to Shujin... We were walking home from practice...on that street... I wasn't looking where I was going... and she protected me... _I was saved by Kasumi... I robbed her of her dreams... **and even her life!**_ I'm... Her Younger sister, Sumire Yoshizawa." Yoshizawa-san sounded close to sobbing and plopped down on the floor, and it's at this point Yu moves in front of her and kneels to comfort her.

  
_"it'll be okay. Just breath."_

  
"I'll take over. After all, I do play a part." Yu had to resist the urge _(again)_ to say "Of course you do, You bastard!", as Yoshizawa-san was more important.

"As she was saying, She's Sumire Yoshizawa, Kasumi-san's Younger sister. But for months, she's only seen herself as being Kasumi-san, her deceased sister."  
_Well, that made some sense._

  
"Of course, it was only herself that changed, so to the people around her, she was still Sumire-san." Maruki kept going. "However, there were a few exceptions to this. Did something happen to make you believe she was Kasumi-san?"

"Yeah..." Amamiya-san started. "When she first came to Shuji, she called herself by that name, and showed me a book with her on it... named Kasumi Yoshizawa."  
"It seems you were clueless, but she was always Sumire-san," Akechi-san remarked.

"Just living another person's life..." Yu added and trailed off. It wasn't healthy by any means.

Yoshizawa-san spoke up, "After Kasumi died, I received counseling from Dr. Maruki before I went to Shujin. That's when I told him... If Kasumi is gone and can't make her dream come true... Then I want to become Kasumi, so I can turn her dream into reality for her." And to be honest, it wasn't a bad thing, to want to carry your dead sister's legacy. Becoming someone else your not is different.

  
"So that's why you messed with her Cognition? For her wishes?" Akechi-san asked.

Maruki nodded." Limited as it was, I already had the power to Actualize her wish. Put yourselves in her shoes for a moment..."

 _"That's what I do for a job..."_ Yu deadpanned.

"Well, aside from you, Narukami-san. Sumire-san's sister died protecting her. Imagine surviving that and the survivor's guilt, let alone heal from the emotional scarring left behind?"  
For once, Yu didn't have any words to say. Inaba... Inaba still had a place in his heart, good and bad.

  
"If Sumire-san can live a healthy, positive life by becoming Kasumi-san... Then I believe that reality is what would make her happy." Maruki kept going and Yu simply looked at him and said..." **That's Bullshit!** _How in the world can you be happy living someone else life when the only life you can live is your own?"_

 _"I've had enough of your high and mighty rationalization_ , "Akechi-san joined in it as well, but blunter _(somehow)_. " **All you did was use her to make everyone acknowledge the validity of your research!"**

_(Ren in the back:...I'm just gonna let them do their thing. I doubt I will be able to talk. )_

  
"So that's how you guys see things, huh?" Maruki responded. "Well, it's a shame. Of course, I wanted society to acknowledge cognitive psience through my research."  
_(Yu in the back: wut is that.)_

"But that's because my goal is to save everyone in the world like Yoshizawa-san by ending all suffering!" 

**"By hiding the pain?! It doesn't work like that!"** Yu felt his spit come out of his mouth.

"My work will covert the wishes of the people into Reality." Maruki didn't answer him. Yu on the other hand...

_"Humans only see what they wish to see."_

_"No one wishes for the fog to lift. Why act against the wishes of your fellow man?"_

The flashbacks in Yu's head were fast punches. He could feel his heart rate and breathing going up. And he was powerless to do anything right now. He had no way to fight back right now. Without a way to summoning his Persona, he was unable to do anything. And he hated that. He knew Maruki was talking, but he began to have chest pain...difficulty breathing.

_Shit..._ Yu swore in his mind. _I'm having an anxiety attack at the **worse** time._

* * *

Maruki looked at Narukami-san and noticed just how fast he was breathing. _ **Wow.** _Markui triggered an anxiety attack in him. Akechi shook his head.

"Look what you've done." Akechi pronounced. "Narukami-san's having an anxiety attack because of you."

"There's nothing that can be done about that." Maruki simply responded. "I'll save everyone like that."

**"What total nonsense."** That was all Akechi had to say. He had the same feelings as Narukami-san: _This whole idea was stupid._ He would just live in the strings of Maruki. And he refused to do that. Akechi had had enough of living under someone's thumb.

He and Narukami-san were against it for different reasons, sure. But they were against it. Ren-san, he wasn't sure.

~~~~

_Take your own advice, Yu. Just breath._ Yu said in his head. He would just have to deal with this.

"Still, I'm completely serious about changing our imperfect reality. Just as she was saved by becoming Kasumi-san, I'll save every other person in the _world currently suffering._ In fact, it's my responsibility to do so... You can see how this world's bestowed the duty upon me..." Maruki kept ranting on.

"Bestowed the duty, more like you just decided this for yourself," Amamiya-san said. "What Happens to the old reality, then?"

"I don't know fully. There's a good chance it'll be treated as if it never existed. The cruel reality will cease to be, and the reality I generate will be the sole world in society."  
Yu's eyes widened. "So...then... the people who fought to get here... they won't even be..." Yu couldn't even finish that sentence.

"I'm not fully sure about that, Narukami-san. But for sure, people wouldn't need to suffer anymore." Maruki responded **(1).**

_So then..._ Yu thought... _would everything he did be for nothing? Would the TV world still be peaceful, let alone, there? Would Teddie even exist? Would Yosuke and Co. still have there Persona's?_

"And you assume will just buy into this, and live in the plan of your hand?" Akechi-san asked with a glare. "Honestly, that **_sounds absolutely revolting."_**

"I'm with Akechi-san," Amamiya-san added.

"All right, so that's your guy's answers. How about the others?" Maruki asked. "Like you, Narukami-san. You don't-"

"That's a **Hell no,"** Yu interrupted. "I have real people... and cats I look after, **I don't... need any lies to make me happy.** " Not anymore, anyway...

"Okay then, what about you Yoshizawa-san?" Maruki asked. "Allow me to ask you yet again. Which reality do you wish to inhabit?"

She looked up and replied in a surprised grunt.

"If you so desire, You can return to life as Sumire, or if you'd continue as Kasumi, I can make that wish for you."

"Dr. Maruki...I..." She said with a pained voice.

"Don't Be Manipulated," Amamiya-san said. "You gotta believe! Be You!"

"Yeah..." Yu added. "I.. may not be in the best...condition, right now, but you can get through your pain... I **can** and **will** make sure of it."

At this point, Yoshizawa-san had been apart of a Persona and Shadow related trauma. And that was the biggest reason Yu had become a therapist. Persona stuff was not easy to deal with. He was a reserve member of the Shadow Operatives for this exact reason. Someone for others to talk to.

  
That was the reason he searched for the Phantom Thieves in the first place. The Police had been hijacked by Shido, and the official Shadow Operatives had to step out and support, But Yu's position as a back-up had allowed him to stay in Tokyo. He looked for them and felt as horrible as the Thieves did when Amamiya-san was accounted as dead, and as happy as them when they went after Shido.

**But now, this happened.** And he would make sure Yoshizawa-san got the right care.

"It's impossible..." Yoshizawa-san said and stood up. "I'm sorry, Amamiya-senpai... I... I can't go back to being her... _**I Can't be the one who led her sister to her death!"**_

"Please don't judge her," Maruki said. "It's just proof of how painful life is for her."

"And I'll work... though it... she got through... being herself," Yu vowed between his hyperventilation.

"You 3 sensed doubt forming in the reality I manifested. That's why you're here." Maruki stated. "But please, Remember this a well: You guys aren't excluded from the people that I wish to save. Especially you, Narukami-san. I don't understand why, but my reality Isn't affecting you."  
"And... I'm glad." Yu mouthed out.

"Okay, but Amamiya-san, won't you accept my reality for your own happiness?" 

**"Hell no, I'll find my own goddam happiness!"** Amamiya-san quickly countered. A soft " _dang_ " came from Yu.

"No deal so far, Huh?" Maruki replied.

"This is not Deal or No Deal, and... _gasp_... I'm pretty sure Akechi-san won't agree." Yu deadpanned.

Suddenly, lights came on, with everyone bracing themselves against it. Looking carefully, One of the shadows twisted its arm and turned into a silmeily tentacle and grabbed Yoshizawa-san, hitting Yu in the process, with his glasses coming off. The tentacle moved up in the arm and put Yoshizawa-san in Maruki's arms.

**"What do you think you're doing with her?"** Akechi-san barked.

"I won't harm her... It's in her best interest that you turn back." Maruki said. Yu knew he was saying more, but he didn't care. The flashbacks about Nanako's kidnapping had already set in.

And this time... it wasn't just anxiety that began to pour in... **something stronger was in his spirit**... he began to pick the claymore up and stood up...

* * *

Ren looked to Narukami-san, with his breathing suddenly calming down. Looking at his face, without those glasses, there was something _fierce_ in his eyes... pushing through the anxiety attack...

  
It wasn't fear ..it wasn't helplessness... it wasn't despair... No, it was something far more profound...There was something in his heart. Something deep, almost evil. Something stuck in his gut...telling him... he can not give up. Not here, not now. **(2)**

  
And that thing was a desire for retribution. Punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance. It was anger. Anger at the man who changed the world because of a forced ideology. The man who would not be forgiven.  
Ren knew that feeling. A feeling that if anyone stepped in the way of his path, an anger that could rip through anything it touched. It was a fierce, unstoppable desire to make sure no one lived without knowing people fought to get here.

It was the look of someone who would charge even powerless. It was the look of someone willing to take a stand. _It was the look of a person facing against a detested fate._  
The Match had already been pulled out a long time ago...

* * *

**Music: Stop**

* * *

**  
  
But now...  
**  
**It was time...**

"How about it, you two?" Maruki-san beckoned. "My reality can become just the way you like"

 **Strike it...**

"You know what?" Narukami-san slowly got up, not even bothering to pick up his glasses. "I've heard enough. What's the goddam point of living a lie?"

 **Sparks fly...  
**

"I would rather die here than live in that " _perfect world!"_ Narukami-san shouted out, his voice growing ever slowly angrier, "Look around you. You think this is okay? You're okay with kidnapping a girl younger than you, just for those lies? You're willing to hurt others? I'm so goddamn sick of this! You... You just want to run away and cloud yourself in this fog because you can't handle the pain of life!"

 **Lit up**...

* * *

_**Music: Awakening (P5)**_

* * *

"I don't care what past anyone's had, you can't run away from your problems if you want to make them better! _**Your Perfect world is nothing more than a pathetic pile of lies**_!"

**Tossed in...**

  
And Narukami-san **_shrieked_**. He cried as high as his cords would let him. He screamed to the heavens, holding his head as he danced around in his pain.

  
**And it Blazed beautifully.**

Ren just smirked from the corner and said: "You lit the fire, Maruki-san, now watch it ******_burn_** "

And Ren knew Maruki-san would never see this coming. And he knew Maruki-san didn't understand what he said, but he didn't care.

Also... Akechi-san was quite confused.

"What the hell is happing with Narukami-san?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) As far as I remember, it was never talked about what happens to the past.  
> (2) hehe, it's time to make history, hehe.
> 
> ... me being silent cause I have to leave you on a cliffhanger.


	5. Blood and Thunder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:  
> Sumire: I don't want to go back  
> Yu: I know, and I'll make sure- *Sumire gets kidnapped*  
> Yu: *Flashbacks*  
> Ren: do the thing.  
> Akechi: What thing?  
> Yu: *screaming*  
> Ren: that thing. Maruki be f u c k e d  
> ~~~~  
> This Chapter:  
> Yu does the big blue fire screaming thing some more.  
> Or...  
> Foooooooooorsakened, I am awakeneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed!  
> Or Even:  
> MARUKI YOU BETTER RUN.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: This story wouldn't be popular.  
> My email: You have 6 new comments on Rebellious Truth  
> Me: HOLY SHIT!  
> Thanks for all the love, guys. It means a lot to me that you're reading this.
> 
> The phrase “blood and thunder” alludes to an oath taken to declare fight or attack. Therefore, it refers to chaos and bloodshed. The phrase is mostly used to provoke people into taking violent actions during wars or similar situations.
> 
> I've gotta fight today to live another day  
> Speakin' my mind today, my voice will be heard today  
> I've gotta make a stand, but I am just a man  
> I'm not superhuman, my voice will be heard today  
> It's just another war, just another family torn  
> My voice will be heard today  
> -Hero, Skillet.

* * *

_**Music: SLAM THAT AWAKENING TRACK! (P5)** _

* * *

_**"You right, you know. No point in Life if you can't understand happiness."** _

God, the pain... Ignore the voice currently booming in Yu's head, when had he had pain his bad? Pain that made him stop what he was doing, drop everything he was holding, and scream? Unexplainably horrible pain? Pain that made him hold his head and spin around?

_**"It's been a long time, hasn't it? And yet, this isn't the world you fought for."** _

He fell to the floor, feeling himself swinging around on the hard suffice. Ignore the fact that he was 4 years older than the kids watching him from behind.

_**"The world is covered by thick fog, and your not gonna stand here and take it when you could do something about it, are you?"** _

Yu felt as if a sudden breath of air came into his mouth when he heard those words. He looked at himself at the reflective floor. His hair had been completely messed up. His face was bussed. His eyes were that golden shade of shadows...

**And Personas.**

_"No..."_ Yu mouthed out in a whisper, having just enough strength in his rage against Maruki to speak. _**"I won't!"**_ Yu got up, for once, letting his rage power him.

_**"Of course not. That desire persists in all yourself's."** _

Yu had felt so dumb for being unable to realize who was speaking to him in his head. He had always been there, and with the confidence he normally had, he pointed his hand toward Maruki and smirked.

_**"No matter how far it may be, secrets will show themselves to us. Let us reforge this contract with the flames that burn pure in response to these lies cast upon this world."** _

Yu had one just thought in his head and he said it out loud:

_"I am thou... Thou art I... "_

_(Ren in the corner, eating popcorn edition: GET THE CAMERA AKECHI!)_

**"From the very moment of my emergence, I have been a guiding light shed to illuminate thy path. Let thou's own light be cast upon the curtain to reveal the simple truth thy and friends search for!"**

Izanagi-no-Okami picked right up track. A pair of heavily white-tinted glasses appeared, with a black butterfly mask surrounding them and a good part of Yu's face.

_"No more."_ He ripped it off with his free hand, and, despite the huge amount of blood now pouring down, tossed it to the side, his peacock blowing in the wind. He proudly said the words the kids craved as soon the glasses-mask combo hit the floor:

**"Let's end this. IZANAGI-NO-OKAMI, Come forth!"**

He held his arms up as he let blue fire began to cover him, feeling freer than he had ever believed he would be in this false world. All he saw was the blue flames he has grown to love.

Once they cleared, he felt Izanagi-no-Okami's presence behind him _(although he was a bit smaller then he used to be)_ , and simply looked at Markui and pronounced the words that would ring though out:

**"I believe in the myriad truths ahead of us! Although the world may seem bleak at times, there are many shades of happiness to be found. Your reality is nothing but a forced lie cast upon the world!"**

The shadows in the place responded by sending attacks after him, to which Izanagi-no-Okami blasted them with thunder attacks as a reflex. Yu walked toward Maruki, to which he backed up a bit.

"Hold on, Narukami-san-" Maruki started, but Yu simply interrupted by saying:  
 **"I refuse to live in a world without pain! Without it, what's to teach you the very joy of life you hold _oh so_ dear? You don't understand the first thing about happiness!"**

Yu picked up his claymore and charged forward, Maruki disappearing in a flash of light, with a shadow turning into a wrapped abyss quickly after. **(1 &2)**

" **Tch** , you want to play that way?" Yu remarked, **"Then we'll play that way!"**

Amamiya-san and Akechi-san walked up behind him, or had they always been there? It didn't matter, Amamiya-san simply asked him,

"Are you ready?"

Yu was happy to have this so familiar power back at his hands. No more would he have to sit back. He smiled at Amamiya-San and replied, "I can say the same about you. Don't let me down."

"I don't plan to." Amamiya-San smirked back from under his mask.

* * *

_**Music: WILL POWER!!!!!! (P5)** _

* * *

_"Stubborn fools, rejecting our lord..."_ The shadow spoke in a deep, almost crazed voice.

"Really, I think your the idiot, but whatever." Yu, in a reflex, pulled his hand out, and put his other hand on his face, feeling something cool, but regardless, called for Izanagi-no-Okami. It didn't seem like he had his wild card access right now, but he really didn't care. Izanagi-no-Okami was powerful enough, and Amamiya-san was a wild card anyway. 

He looked through his soul, and looking through his spells and moves, he chose one.

_**"Izanagi-no-Okami! Let's go! Wild Thunder!"**_

**[Artist here](https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/62359692)!**

Hitting the shadow, it went down. **(3)**

They rushed in, and Ren yelled out:

**"All-out attack!"**

**"Feel our might!"** Yu chanted out, but the thing was still alive. And it retailed with a Vacuum wave and Concentrate.

" **Ugh** , it's still not dead!" Akechi-San grumbled. "Joker! Help shut that thing up!"

"Got it," Amamiya-san replied and he and Akechi-San jumped up. Akechi-san charged in, while Amamiya-san jumped up with a Hookshot, spun his knife, and slash the shadow. Akechi-san came in and slashed it to pieces, while Amamiya-san shot it as it disappeared.

* * *

_**Music: Suspicion (P5)** _

* * *

"It's dead. Now where the heck are you, Maruki?" Yu said out loud when an intercom came in.

"Unfortlaly, it's not safe for me to talk there," Maruki said. Yu simply frowned  
  
"So your gonna run away like a scared cat, huh?" Akechi-san barked out.  
  
"I wouldn't say...running away, more like a retreat," Maruki flatly replied.  
  
"How about you hand over Sumire-san." Both Yu and Amamiya-san said at the same time.  
  
"That, I can't do. She wants to live in the reality where she is Kasumi-san. There's no way I can hand her-"  
  
 **"I AM LITERALLY A THERAPIST. THAT'S MY JOB."** Yu spat out "You're making your case worse. First, you change reality, then you kidnap a girl _**because**_ she broke out of said reality."  
  
"She wanted that. " Maruki said, while Yu just groaned. "But before I go, I have an idea. How about you go and see the reality I made? I know Amamiya-kun's friends are already enjoying it."  
  
"You think we'll just listen to you?" Akechi-san barked.  
  
"I'm sorry, but you're going through with this, even by force. We'll meet again one week from today: Jan 9th. I hope you'll change your minds." Maruki's voice ringed through the room, and it seemed he was gone.

"Tck..." Akechi-san shooke this head.  
  
"This place is huge. It would take forever to find him." Yu said.

* * *

_**Music: My Homie (P5)** _

* * *

"Narukami-san," Akechi-san turned around and looked at Yu.  
  
"What is it, Akechi-san?" Yu said in a friendly tone.  
  
"What just... **_happened_**?" Akechi-san asked.

"I may be better equipped to deal with this." Amamiya-san replied "Basically, he made his stand against the Doc, and his persona-," Amamiya-san turned around to Yu "Izanagi-no-Okami, correct?"

"Yes." Yu nodded back.  
  
"-Called out to him. Why do you ask? Did you not have one of these?" Amamiya finished with a question.  
  
"My persona is artificially created. I had to take drugs. Not after I found out about Shido's plans, however." **(4)** Akechi-san softly replied. Yu had to hold in a gasp. The Shadow Operatives had told him about Suppressors and artificially created Persona's. They could apparently kill a person, and Artificial Personas were also violent and difficult to control. Maybe that was why Akechi-san was the cause of the mental shutdowns.

_"I'm sorry."_ Amamiya-san gloomily answered back.

"It's fine." Akechi-san just shrugged it off. "Does Narukami-san have anything he needs to worry about? I don't image losing blood like that is good."   
  
Amamiya-san turned to him. " _Well_...Narukami-san, how you feeling?"

Yu decided to listen to him and see how he was doing and...

Yu now noted he could feel himself slowly losing consciousness. _Oh no,_ was he going into hemorrhagic shock? **(AN: occurs when you lose 40% or more of your blood. Symptoms include: rapid breathing, weakness or fatigue, confusion, cool or pale skin, sweaty or moist skin, anxiety or unease, low urine output, drowsiness, and unconsciousness. )** , Or is this just Persona fatigue? The first time he awoke to Izanagi, he very much just hopped into bed and fell asleep instantly. Whatever the case, he suddenly needed rest. And lots of it. **Now.**  
  
"I... suddenly need sleep."  
  
"Post-awakening fatigue. _Oh_ , by the way, I picked up your glasses." Amamiya-San walked over to Yu and handed him his gray pair back. 

"Hey, thanks." Yu then tried to put them back on, only for it to hit another pair of glasses already on his face. _And It was it this moment Yu realized:_

_**"When did I start wearing this?!"** _

He was no longer wearing his peacock, but an open black tuxedo with a few silver buttons and a white undershirt. He had a small tailcoat-like feature with a piece of his tux failing down to around his Quads. He had a pocket puffed up on his right side of his tux. He had white sleeves, but no gloves. He had simple black pants and brown boots. He felt something on his head and pulled down a Yellow lined top-hat.

Amamiya-San was giggling, while Akechi-san was just confused.

"You... _**o**_ _ **nly just realized?"**_ Akechi-san was shocked. "Were that focused on your pain and Maruki?"

"Happens to everyone." Amamiya-San was still giggling. " **Your face**... _**You should have seen your face!**_ But in all seriousness, It's meant to protect you from distortions. It represents your idea of a rebel. At least... I've been told."

"This is kinda embasing. I feel like I'm naked." Yu said before he fell. A small sound " _Oof_ " sound came from Yu.

"We should leave," Amamiya-San said.

"I agree. it's our best option right now." Akechi-san nodded back.

* * *

**Outside the Palace...**

* * *

"Narukami-san! Can you stand?!" Akechi-san asked.

_"I'm barely still awake... no..."_ Yu could feel his eyes wanting to close. He landed on Ren-San's shoulder _"Dammit...the moment I get a way to stop Maruki, I have to rest."_

"You... hate feeling like this, do you?" Ren-san asked.

Yu nodded back.

"Do you think you'll be able to get home?" Akechi asked.

_"No."_ Yu flatly replied.

"Narukami-san-" Ren-san stated.

_"Please, just call me Yu-San. "_ Yu Inrupted.

"Alright, Yu-San, feel free to give in to the tiredness in your body. I have a plan." Ren-san nodded back.

_"Good night, then,"_ Yu said. Following his advice, he closed his eyes, stopping fighting to stay awake, and felt the sweet lure of sleep take him almost instantly. He did not doubt in his mind Ren would do something about him...

**He collapsed.**

* * *

"He just fainted!" Ren exclaimed.

_"That plan?"_ Akechi-san barked.

"Right." Ren nodded and pulled out this phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, Ren's in the back like:  
> Please let this dude have the potential, please.  
> And then he's like:  
> YES! WELCOME TO THE GANG!  
> Not knowing Yu had was having a Reawakening for Izanagi-No-Okami.
> 
> In case you're curious, Rise has shown that a Support Persona can become a Combat Persona if the user displays a strong resolve to fight. She does this in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. So by that logic, my thought process is that it was Sumire getting captured that tripped Yu over the edge with his rebellion of the false reality and caused Izanagi-No-Okami to go from a simple accepting of himself, to also being his will of rebellion, resulting in Yu having a bloody reawakening.
> 
> In a nutshell, You hurt them and you just triggered Yu into overdrive.
> 
> Oh, and yes, Yu was screaming until he said "No". In the floor. Actually, it might have been even more painful, considering he had a shift instead.
> 
> As for Yu's outfit, It based on Magicians, because 1). Yu probably shares the same views on rebels as Ren (Helping the poor, classy, etc), thus, they have slimmer outfits, but have distinct differences, 2). As I just mentioned, one of my headcanon views is that Yu believes that rebels are clever, hard-working, but most importantly, stick to what they believe. Magicians are just that. 3). Magicians use cards. A lot. Plus, we get the nice tarot card bonus. 4). Foil.
> 
> (1) If Maruki can teleport after they beat the shadow the first time, then he can probably teleport before.  
> (2) Yu didn't call the warped abyss a Persona, cause that's a new persona in P5R, and really does look like a shadow XD.  
> (3) Hastur isn't Actually weak to elec, but for the sake of Yu, he is.  
> (4) Change my mind.
> 
> I actually had this ready, AND THEN I LOST IT!. AND THEN I HAD TO REWITRE IT! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. So sorry if the last part is a bit more rushed. I have rewritten this chapter more than 5 times at this point.


	6. Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:  
> Yu: REEEEEEEEEEEEEE  
> Maruki & Akechi: yo why is Narukami-san on the floor screaming?  
> Ren: *Shit-eating grin*  
> Yu: PERSONA!  
> Ren: yo Maruki you f u c k e d u p  
> Yu: I will make you suffer, Maruki. And it is going to be very slow and very painful.  
> Maruki: Oh... well shit.  
> Maruki: *I'm out meme* have a Cthulhu thing instead.  
> *Battle*  
> Yu: It's dead.  
> Yu: And I'm falling asleep.  
> Ren: And that is how we got our personas.  
> Akechi: By screaming into the floor?  
> Ren:... yes.
> 
> This Chapter: Calm before the Storm.
> 
> Rest, Recovery, CATS, and A bond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to make myself believe  
> That planet Earth turns slowly  
> It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep  
> 'Cause everything is never as it seems (When I fall asleep)  
> ― Owl City, Fireflies.

* * *

_**Music: My Homie (P5)** _

* * *

_Guess who Ren called?_

**Yep...Tae Takemi.**

Checking over Yu-san's now sleeping body, she made her choice.

"Acute exhaustion. Given his state, I'd say he's gonna be like for 2 days, 3 tops. He might have some times where he's awake, but those will be few and between."

"Thanks." Ren smiled back.

"This is the second time you've called me for someone who just collapsed," Tae said. "Oh well, I'll head out now."

"Umm... yeah... sorry about that." Ren shook his head.

"How we gonna get him home?" Akechi-san asked.

"I'll take him to rest at Leblanc. I think Coffee dad will be alright with it." Ren said. 

"And I'll work on researching Maruki. I hate that we have to do what he says, but we have to wait till the 9th. Of course, our lives will be very different if you accept his deal." Akechi-san growled and walked away, leaving Ren and a collapsed Yu-san.

"Well..." he deadpanned and picked him up. Thank god for all that Palace exploring, or else he wasn't sure how he'd Get Yu-san to safety...

* * *

**At the Train station**

* * *

_**Music: Silence before the Storms (DM DOKURO, Terraria Calamity mod)/So Happy World (P5R)/Alone (P4)** _

* * *

_"hey..."_ Yu-san's eyes were flickering.

 **"Yu-San!"** Ren exclaimed.

 _"were... am I going? what happened... while I was... out... "_ Yu-san Yawned with a dazed tone.

"Let's wait till your fully rested, okay?" Ren simply replied.

 _"Mmm...alright..."_ Yu-san closed his eyes again.

Ren realized that because of his tired state, he might have not even understood what he just said. And when he checked on him, he had fallen asleep _again_. But he couldn't really blame him. The guy had been using his Persona though out the whole thing, even if he didn't realize it.

* * *

**1/4, 2017**

**(AN: Oh My God the date finally changed.)**

* * *

Yu's consciousness had been fading in and out. He had had Persona exhaustion before, but never this **bad**. Maybe it was the fact it was a new environment or the fact he had bled out at least 35% of his blood out, maybe more, and didn't feel a thing. _**Honesty**_ , all he remembered from that was Surime got kidnapped, Maruki saying he won't hurt her and that he save her, voicing his thoughts, Sudden pain, the pure rage that had taken over his body after Izanagi-no-Okami spoke to him, and it was **Blood and Thunder** afterward. And _Really_? **Yu didn't care.** For just a few mins, the world saw just how cold he could become. How much furry he could possess if it came to it.

 **And he regretted none of it.** It felt so free to let go of the anger and frustration he had to hold in, because he felt powerless to do anything, in such a way, he didn't mind the costume he had to wear _too_ much, although he wondered if the hat had to be _that_ big.

Yu had another moment where he was fading between sleeping and awake. He found himself in an attic, in a futon. There was a plant next to a shelf and a Phantom thief poster above a couch in the room.

Ren-San noticed him looking around and said "Hey, you're awake right now?"

Yu nodded back, a bit dazed. He still needed more rest.

"Alright. Let me go get something." Ren-san headed down the stairs and came back with a plate of curry. Yu looked at the plate of curry and then at Ren-san.

"Eat up," Ren-san instructed. " I don't want you just to sleep for your rest. It's been a full 24 hours since you did that. You need some food. And good stuff, too. Not the snacks in your bag."

" _You...looked through my bag?_ " Yu tilted his head.

"I had to reply to a call and put your phone on Do Not Disturb," Ren-san said. "Don't ask how I got in, I'm not gonna snoop around on your phone. I just couldn't sleep otherwise."

Yu just nodded back, and slowly began to eat the curry.

* * *

" _That's... That's good."_ Yu-San replied with a hazy tone after he finished the curry.

"Yeah." Ren smiled. "I know. I made it."

" _You made it?_ " Yu-san questioned. " _You're a good cook._ "

"Thanks," Ren responded. "You get some more rest, okay?"

 _"I'll have to repay you for your hospitality at some point_ ," Yu-san said. " _I mean... you barely even know me_."

"Maybe I don't. But it's still the right thing to do." Ren replied. Yu-san seemed a bit shocked, but smiled back and pulled himself back into the futon.

* * *

**AN: As your fully aware, this is the week you go around and try to snap the thieves out of the false reality, and I really don't feel like writing that, because it would just be a lot of copy and paste, and that's not fun to write or read.**

**So instead...**

* * *

**To:** Goro Akechi-San (Akechi.Goro@Toyko.poilce.gov)

 **From:** Ren. (Jokers.Email@Phansite.com)

 **Subject:** Yu-san's status

_Ren's report of Yu-San._

**1/3**

Ren: Yu is peacefully sleeping with a few times he wakes up for five mins. He's also slightly drooling. It's kinda cute.

Goro: Why Email?

Ren: Because this isn't as urgent as texts.

Goro: Fair point. 

**1/4**

Ren: Same as yesterday, but sometimes when Yu is awake for more than five mins, his eyes become gazed. He seems to be in a trance-like state of some sort during these times. I managed to feed him as well.

Goro: Does this normally happen?

Ren: what happens?

Goro: Falling asleep for a long time after getting a Persona?

Ren: it's different for everyone. Sometimes, yes. For me, it was slowed movement. For Futuba, it was a full mouth of sleep. Yu is healthy, thou. He won't be out that long.

Goro: Good. Any guess's to when he's able to fight? 

Ren: if Tae's right, by **1/7**

Goro: Alright.

**1/5**

Ren: Yu is up, although he reported that his mind is foggy. He has headed home right now.

Goro: May I have his phone number?

Ren: how did you know we exchanged phone numbers before he left.

Goro: I didn't. I guessed.

Ren: Well, he said he wanted yours too.

* * *

Extra:

Morgana about the gray boy who just invaded his house:

_**"Umm, Ren, why is there another boy in my domain?!"** _

* * *

**1/5, 2017**

* * *

Yu had just left Leblanc. His mind was still foggy, but it was not as bad as yesterday. He had asked Ren to explain things tomorrow, once his mind cleared up.

He couldn't believe just how bad his fatigue was. Maybe it was because the world just wasn't right right now, or maybe because he already had a Persona, and he reawakened instead of just awakened.

Speaking of that, a few new things had come to his head because of that bloody screaming fit he barely remembered.

First of all, was that there were new spell types. Nuclear and Psychic spells had come to mind. There were also now damage-dealing Light and Curse spells, too. Though he still had mainly Electricity, and of course, Myriad Truths, but that cost a lot to use **(1),** and he'd rather use it carefully, if he wanted to use it against Maruki. And he badly did.

Another was Izanagi-no-Okami had new spells, and _weirdly_ , a trait. Apparently, he would get a boost every time Ren switch Persona's, which probably had to do with the fact he was also a wild card, just that the velvet room would have trouble hosting two guests at the same time.

Izanagi-no-Okami also traded in his full resistance to everything to absorbing elec and blocking curse. That was okay. Yu would rather take full damage to one attack and no damage to the other attack than half damage on both attacks. 

At home, he lay In his bed, eager to give Maruki what he had coming to him. He pulled out his phone.

**12 missed calls from ~Rise~, 5 missed calls from Yosuke, 2 missed calls from Chie, 15 more missed calls from others.**

Missed Texts: 

_Yosuke: Yo Partner. Are you okay?_

_Rise: Yu? You haven't responded to anything recently._

_Yosuke: Partner, I'm worried._

_Chie: Yoooo, Yu!_

_Naoto: Yu, are you feeling alright?_

  
Yu sighed. _How did he explain this?_ He didn't want to tell everyone. That would just be being mean to Ren-san, Akechi-san, And Yoshizawa-san.

Maybe he could tell Yosuke. **No.** He was going to.

_Yu: Long story short._

_Yu: Persona stuff._

_Yosuke: Oh_

_Yosuke: Well shit._

_Yosuke: Is it the PT?_

_Yu: Its... way worse than that._

_Yu: Reality itself is replaced._

_Yu: People don't have problems anymore._

_Yu: It's the fog all over again, but it's reversed in terms of effects._

_Yosuke: Oh._

_Yosuke: That's definitely not happening in Inaba._

_Yosuke: My back is still in consent pain._

_Yu: Of course it is._

_Yu: Now, I'm heading to bed._

_Yosuke: **But it's only 1 pm!**_

_Yu: Do me a favor... Don't tell anyone about this._

_Yosuke: Why?_

_Yu: I have reasons._

_Yosuke: Alright. I'll just say your sick or something._

_Yu: More like I had a bleeding fit. Well, good night, Yosuke._

_Yosuke: **Dude**_

_Yosuke: **What do you mean by bleeding fit?**_

Yu rested in his bed. _Hmm... so cozy..._

**Incoming call.**

That shocked him out of bed.

He answered the call.

"Hello. Yu Narukami speaking."

"Hello, Narukami-san." Akechi-san returned.

"Hey, Akechi-san. I'm assuming Ren-san gave you my number. What is it?" Yu Replied.

"I'm assuming your against Maruki's plans, correct?" Akechi-san asked.

"I fought it was pretty obvious." Yu deadpanned. **"I don't want any of this. "**

"Alright then. I went and researched things, and I'll go ahead and tell you, as well. You don't know Maruki as much as Amamiya-san, after all." Akechi-san answered. "Yoshizawa-san's parents believe she's been at "training camp" since the first. To confirm, yes, Maruki is **truly changing** our reality as he sees fit."

"You know, _why hasn't he just wiped us out yet?_ If he can change reality, then why have people who will fight back? **Especially me.** " Yu asked.

"That's a good question." Akechi-san paused. "Perhaps he just doesn't have it in him." 

"What else have you learned?" Yu pushed

"Regrading Maruki himself... He's been researching _"the treatment of patients through changes in their cognitions"_ since his college years. I imagine Amamiya-San will fill you in on why that's important at some point" Akechi-san affirmed. "Maruki's work had enough investors that he had plans to break ground on a research facility somewhere. _However_ , those plans never came to fruition- his funding was cut off and his research was therefore ended."

" _Random guess time_. Do you think where the Tower is, is where Maruki wanted to build the facility?" Yu proposed.

"I'm almost positive that's what it is. But what was the purpose of his research? Doesn't it feel like-"

 **"Were missing something?"** Yu interrupted Akechi-san

"That's **exactly** it," Akechi-san replied in a bit of a more surprised tone than normal.

 **"I wanna know.** Even if it may hurt, even it brings pain within. **My mind's determined** , I need to know. Even it may kill, even it may change me. _There's no turning back for me now._ " Yu affirmed.

" **Me either.** I refuse to live in the palm of someone's hand ever again." Akechi-san said in a different tone. "Anyways, that's all I've got. We'll meet at the tower on the 9th. You'll be ready to roll by then?"

_"I hope so,"_ Yu replied back and nodded, dispute the fact Akechi-san would be unable to see it.

Akechi-san hanged up. And Akechi-san's call reminded him of something he needed to do. He wasn't sure if it would do anything, given the state of Toyko, but he would still do it. Although, given his own state, it was gonna be troublesome with a foggy mind.

**That's when an idea hit him.**

* * *

_**Music: What's Going On? (P5)/Like a Dream Come True (P4)** _

_**AN: Wait a minute...** _

* * *

_Yu: Hey Ren-san._

_Yu: What are you doing?_

_Ren: Trying to break the Thieves out of Maruki's reality._

_Ren: If you didn't know by now,_

_Ren: Were the Phantom Thieves of Hearts._

_Yu: I kinda guessed that._

_Yu: You want a break?_

_Yu: I need help with something._

_Ren: Oh, No Problem!_

* * *

Ren wasn't sure what he was expecting. Maybe he thought he need help with cooking food for tonight, or maybe he needed help with some kind of his work. Ren was pretty used to taking up weird requests.

_But this..._

**This he didn't see coming.**

**From:[This godsend on Tumblr](https://burcublog.tumblr.com/post/615898199753949184/bug%C3%BCn-hi%C3%A7-%C3%B6zlemedin-mi-beni-bug%C3%BCn-de-mi)**

  
He walked into Yu-san's apartment, and there were about **12 cats** around the boy, **meowing loudly.** There were 2 orange tabbies, 3 white fluffy Persian cats, a black Siamese, a white Siamese cat, 2 Japanese Bobtails, a Cocco kitty Ren couldn't tell the breed of, a calico with a unique pattern, and an _**absolutely**_ charming black and white Kitten.

"Thanks for coming, Ren-san," Yu said as he put some soft food into a bowl. "I thought you might need a break, and it's gonna be hard with a hazy mind, but can you help me with these guys?"

Ren wasn't sure whether to cry about how _cute_ they were, **freak out** because Yu-san had a lot of cats, **lash out** at Yu-san because he fought he could do this alone, or _admire_ Yu-san for taking care of these many cats by himself.

"I see you're confused," Yu-san said. "I foster cats, mostly ones with special needs. But with Maruki's reality, _well, yeah._ However, I don't know how Maruki's reality works with this." Yu moved down to pet the kitten."Some of the cats need special food. Their bowls are labeled. Think you can do that for me? Amber needs a bath." Yu-san picks up one of the orange tabbies. She meows loudly. 

"Yes, I know, _Amber-bo_. You don't like Baths. But if your gonna digging in my trash can, then you have to take a bath every time," Yu-san spoke to the feline.

" _Umm.. yeah_. The food is labeled, right?" Ren asked. Yu-san nodded back and headed into a bathroom with Amber, leaving Ren with a bunch of _hungry_ cats. He got to putting the food in the bowls.

"Mu, Domino, those are some nice names..." Ren said while looking over the soft food on a shelf, " _Freyja_ , naming a cat after a god, and **Scooter?!** " Ren was a bit shocked by that.

" _Yes, I know_ ," Yu-san announced from the bathroom. "I didn't pick that name, he came- **Hey, Amber** , don't get me wet me like that, **silly kitty!"** Yu-san trailed off.

* * *

Yu-san looked over the bowls and turned around to Ren.

"The foods in the right place. Nice going." Yu-san congratulated him. Ren scratched the back of his head.

"I can do this again if you need me to," Ren said.

"Thanks for that. I kinda called you over here for another reason, though." Yu-san said.

Ren tilted his head.

"I thought you could use a bit a moment of peace before you went back to try to break your friends of that spell," Yu-san replied in response.

"Oh... **thanks**." Ren smiled.

"Did you know that cats have been shown to help to relieve depression and stress?" Yu added.

"I'd heard about it," Ren answered. It seemed Yu-san was looking out for him and was worried about his health.

As Yu-San smiled back at him, he heard the familiar crashing sound in his ears as a voice spoke up...

* * *

_**Music: Strength of Heart (P4) /The Spirit (P5)** _

* * *

_**"I am thou... thou art I...** _

**_Thou_ hast acquired the _vow_ of a _past card_...**

**It shall _relight_ the _stars_ that _show_**

**the _path_ of thy _truth_ _once more._**

**With the _birth_ of the _Aeon Persona_**

**thou _hast_ _obtained_ the _winds of blessing_ that shall _guide thee_ to the _furthest depths..._**

* * *

It was a new verse this time. He'd have to ask the Velvet room people about that at some point. But Yu-san's Arcana was the Aeon, huh? The Thoth cards version of Judgement. It made sense though. The faces Yu-san made looking at Maruki were **terrifying** and **completely unnatural** on such a **composed person,** it really did seem like Yu-San had been **possessed** by a power existing from eternity, a meaning of Aeon. It could also mean a really long time, so maybe Yu-San had wisdom beyond his years. Whatever the case, he was looking forward to spending time with him.

* * *

_**Music: Silence before the Storms (DM DOKURO, Terraria Calamity mod)/So Happy World (P5R)/Alone (P4)** _

* * *

After a bit of a pause, Yu-san spoke.

"You should probably head home. I'm gonna rest for the rest of the day."

* * *

Yu _wanted_ to tell Ren-san.

He _wanted_ to tell him about the fact this wasn't his first time using a Persona. He wanted to tell him he was a Wild card. He wanted to tell him he felt that wind. He Felt that birth of a building bond (Not the voice thought. He was long past that). But he didn't _want_ to at the same time. And he wasn't sure why. Maybe he was scared for some reason

He would think about that later. Right now, He just needed sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) That's how I'm nerfing Yu. Myriad Truths is not a cheap spell to use. It's like Half of the SP I've decided to give Yu. Its still powerful, just more costly. Speaking of stats, I decided to make Yu a bit of a glass spell cannon. I've likely talk about them when we go back in.
> 
> it won't be a Yu fic if Yu didn't have cats in one way or another. Cats. CAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
> 
> So, I made Yu an Aeon (Le' Temps infini). Yes, I know, Characters associated with this arcana are not exactly human. But the reason I went with this is:  
> 1). Struggled to discover their own place in an unfamiliar world. Yu is a bit confused on the whole Phantom thief thing. I also have plans on this part as well... but I can't tell you, because, as River Song would say, Spoilers.  
> 2). Both Aigis and Marie (also Aeon's) have an affinity with the Velvet Room. Yu is a past guest.  
> 3). The card of Aeon Arcana in-game is gold instead of blue like the other cards. Golden is Yu's color.  
> 4). The Card upright means rebirth, awakening, and awareness of utopia. Downright, it means Misidentification, self-deception, and megalomania.  
> 5). Now we move onto its card base, the Judgement Arcana. Characters of the Judgement Arcana are well-aware, quite intelligent, and view the world with infinite possibilities. Most powerful when combining their intuition with their smarts, their thought process is among the vastest and realistic. Sound like Yu yet?  
> 6). It is also often associated with reborn organizations of Persona users that were being given new objectives or other characters associated with turning points of the game. This is... fairly obvious... 
> 
> Fun Fact: My writing program thought those Email addresses I used were real. I'm not sure how that happened.
> 
> (I swear if someone has those addresses...)


	7. The Silence before the Storms.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:  
> Yu: Thanks for letting me sleep in your place.  
> Ren: Oh no problem  
> Yu: Can you help me?  
> Ren: Sure!  
> Cats: *Exists*  
> Ren: Umm...  
> Ren, inside: He's worried about me...  
> *CONFIDANT AQUINDED*
> 
> This Chapter: The Silence before the Storms.  
> Ren sums up the Plot of 5, Yu talks about Jungian psychology and scares the fuck out of Ren with the Shadow archetype. Oh, and they buy some weapons too.
> 
> *This is more of a fluff chapter*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No quote for today... istand...

* * *

**Thank you, Tumblr.**

* * *

_**1/6, 2017.** _

_**Music: What's Going On? (P5)/Like a Dream Come True (P4)** _

* * *

**Note: Lots of Dialogs just summarizing the plot of P5. I'll put another bracket after this ends, In case you want to skip this.**

* * *

_Ren: Oi._

_Ren: I assume you want an explanation?_

_Yu: Yes. ~Nya._

_Yu: That would be purrfect._

_Ren: Oh no._

_Ren: Why are you making cat puns?_

_Yu: Because I love cats to death._

_Ren: I..._

_Ren: I should have known._

_Yu: I also had a very cursed thought that hasn't left me._

_Ren: What is it?_

_Yu: Pursona._

_Ren: I'm Blocking you._

_Yu: I'm Parrirng you_

_Ren: We're gonna get along nicely, aren't we?_

_Yu: I have a feeling we will._

_Yu: Anyways... Do you want to come to my apartment or me to yours?_

_Ren: Well..._

_Ren: It's not a house..._

_Ren: I'll come to yours._

_Yu: Alright._

* * *

Ren-san arrived at Yu's apartment, with the cats flying all over the place.

"Alright, kitties. I'm gonna be in here for a while, so be good for me, okay?" Yu closed the door behind them, as both went to his bedroom.

"Why don't you let the cats in here?" Ren-san tilted his head

"I have files I can't have them get on. Mostly client files." Yu said in response.

"Oh, okay. So... now it's my turn to explain, ain't it?" Ren-san sat down on a couch in the room.

"Yep. Do you mind if I take notes?" Yu said as he pulled out a notepad.

"Oh no, go ahead. It's hard to explain." Ren-san nodded back

"Alright. Go ahead." Yu relaxed on a chair near a desk with his computer on it.

"It started when I came to Shuji. I moved here, as I was put on probation for a crime because I confronted a man harassing a woman-" Ren started.

"Oh... I'm sorry." Yu softly said.

"No, don't worry. I got my Revenge. That man was Shido." Ren-san countered.

" _OH_ ," Yu said in a bit of a shocked tone.

"Anyways, It would take a while to explain everything, but I'll give you a broad sweep. After meeting one of the current thieves, I and Him found ourselves in a castle. This Castle was actually Suguru Kamoshida's Palace, but we'll get to that. Shadow knocked us out and almost executed us, and then I awoke to my Persona. Then, we met Morgana, a cat-like creature who taught us most about Palaces, Shadows, And Personas."

"Where's Morgana-kun?" Yu asked.

"Do you have an addiction to Cats?" Ren-san returned.

"I might," Yu said.

"Well, weird story, Morgana didn't know who he was for a while. He thought he was a Human who lost his memory and lost his true form. He's not, he's different from that, but he still wanted to be human. And so, he's human."

" ** _Okay, now Maruki has just doomed himself even more_.**" Yu steeled himself.

Ren-san sighed, " _Continuing on,_ Palaces are the representation of the distorted desires of people, and the only way without talking to a real person, as Palaces are run by a Shadow Self, usually, to get rid of a Palace is to steal its owner's hidden treasure, the core of the world and distorted desires."

"So...Is that how you performed your Changes of Hearts the Phantom Thieves are famous for?" Yu reasoned.

"Yep. However, this creates the risk of causing a mental shutdown within the person. If the Shadow self surrenders, only the Change of Heart happens."

"Hmm...Kept going." Yu let out a thoughtful hum.

"Right. We can't steal a Treasure unless we send a Calling card, because otherwise, we can't take the Treasure. It won't manifest a physical form. Once it has a physical form, we steal it." Ren-san moved his hand in the air.

"So... later after stealing Kamoshida, we partied, then I met Shido again and he pissed one of our buddies off, and we formed the Phantom Thieves of Hearts to combat corruption. We went after Ichiryusai Madarame after we went to Mementos, which is one gigantic shared Palace of the public."

"So... the Collective Unconscious?" Yu looked at Ren-san.

**"You know what that is?!"** Ren-san was a bit shocked.

"The part of the unconscious mind which is derived from ancestral memory and experience and is common to all humankind, as distinct from the individual's unconscious. Jungian Psychology. _**In fact**_... you do know the Archetypes in Jung?" Yu asked.

Ren-san shook his head.

"Oh... well, Jung claimed these Archetypes are the basis of the human psyche, directing and influencing present behavior. Jung claimed to identify a large number of archetypes but paid special attention to four."

"Which are?" Ren-san questioned.

"Prepare yourself. **They are The Self, the Persona, the Shadow, and the Anima or Animus depending on your gender.** " Yu said with a bit of a smirk. Ren-san was dumbfounded.

" _Imagine my shock when I figured that out_ ," Yu added on with a smile.

"I'm gonna keep going with my story, but you're _**explaining**_ those once I'm done," Ren-san ordered.

"Of course." Yu smiled back.

"Okay, well, At Mementos, we also met this guy named Jose, trying to understand humans. We don't know what he is. But we stole Madarame's heart, and afterward, Akechi-san denounced us."

" _But isn't he..._ " Yu shook his head.

"We'll get to that. The Shuji principal Kobayakawa-san wanted the student council president to find us out, and she did, and then things spiraled. We ended up stealing Kaneshiro's heart. I also should point out that I have the ability to switch Persona's and fuse them by going to this blue room, ran by this guy with a _**really long** _nose. This will be important later."

"Alright. After that, the hacker collective Medjed targeted you, correct?" Yu remembered that was around the time things were getting _**weird**_.

"Yep. We were approached by another mysterious hacker named "Alibaba" who wanted us to steal a heart: their own. We discovered her to be Futaba Sakura-san, Sojiro's, _aka the guy who runs Leblanc_ , adoptive daughter who became a shut-in after the trauma of witnessing her own mother's death and being blamed for it by her mother's co-workers. " Ren-san played with his hair.

"So.. she wanted you to steal her Heart?" Yu asked.

"She wanted it to free herself of her suicidal thoughts and her guilt towards her mother's death. And then she ended up walking into her own Palace."

"Would that mean she saw her Own Shadow self?" Yu _**quickly**_ investigated as soon as Ren-san finished talking.

"You're _**sharp**_. We Faced off against her cognitive view of her mother Wakaba Isshiki, who became a monstrous beast in her mind. She walked up to where we were fighting, and then things...happened."

" _Oh boy..."_ Yu felt this gut church.

"We figured out that a suicide note was forged, blaming Futuba for her mother's death. Eventually, Futaba figured this out and accepted that she was not at fault for her mother's death, her Shadow transformed into the Persona Necronomicon, turning the tide in the battle. And then it was a mad dash to get out. Unlike everyone else who uses their Persona for fighting, Futaba uses it for support, because she had more of a focus to find the truth behind her mother's death, and get revenge on the ones responsible, than our group's goal of reforming society. We also discovered that Wakaba was researching cognitive psience, which had some connection to their ability to enter the Metaverse, the name of the place we were in." Ren-san said.

  
Yu is slightly shocked. Futuba-san pulled what all his Inaba friends did. Was that why he was just using Izanagi for Navi until Maruki really pissed him off? Was it because he started with a goal of finding the truth and it later turned into Taking Back Reality, fighting to dispel the lies? Was it because his goal shifted from finding the truth... _to stealing back the truth he believed in?_

**"Hey Yu-san, you faded out there."** Ren-san moved his hand in front of Yu.

"Oh sorry, just thinking about things. Keep going." Yu replied.

"Alright. Afterward, we went to Hawaii on a school trip-"

_"I'd say lucky you, but that's not saying a lot for me."_ Yu softly muttered.

"Hmm?" Ren tilted his head.

**"Nevermind."** Yu quickly countered.

"No, if something is bothering you, you can tell me." Ren-san fired back. Yu could tell this boy's Kindness was extremely high and would push on, and his Courage was too great for him to give up.

"It's related to my past, and I don't want to talk about it." Yu coughed up.

"For a therapist, you sure don't like talking about your feelings. " Ren-san replied.

" _That's..._ " Dang... what an Armor-Piercing response. "I'll talk about it after you're done with your story," Yu replied.

"I'll hold you to it. In Hawaii, I'll just sum up this next part as Morgana got depressed, School Principal Kobayakawa-san mysteriously died, Morgana's identity crisis caused him to run away, we caused after him, he had a new Phantom thief, came into Kunikazu Okumura's palace, stole his heart, something went wrong, and he died. Then everyone hated us." Ren quickly said.

"It was a mistake, wasn't it?" Yu span in his chair.

"We don't know. Later, Akechi-san found out we were the Phantom Thieves. However, he said he deduced that they cannot be responsible for the murders and mental shutdowns because he too entered the Metaverse and encountered the true culprit. In reality, he was the true culprit, but we'll get to that. We figured out that Akechi-san was lying, so we had to go after the palace of a public prosecutor, Sae Niijima-san. Then, we had a huge plan that I can't explain well because I got captured by police somehow and drugged, beaten, and forced to sign a false confession." Ren-san shook this head

**_"WHAT THE HELL!?"_** Yu slammed a table on impulse. " _That's_... **you can't do that!** **You're just 16!** "

"Yes, I know. Akechi-san then tried to kill me, but via weird Palace stuff, I lived. Shido was the puppeteer, Akechi was just the puppet." 

" _Oh._.. Then you went after him?" Yu said as he checked his table for damage.

"Yes, but before that, on October 3, me, Sumire-san viewing herself as Kasumi-san, and Morgana walked into an unknown Palace. Sumire-san awoke to her persona there.

That's the Palace we found you in, as well. We did invite Sumire-san to join our group, but she declined due to being busy with her work." Ren-san said.

" _Hmm_... alright." Yu smiled back.

"Anyways, back to Akechi-san. I was reported dead by suicide on the news, but everything was going to plan."

"When that happened, I was _**really**_ torn," Yu slowly said.

"Speaking of that, you know my name because of that, but my name was never leaked. How did you find out?" Ren-san asked.

"I have a major friend in the police department. _Have you heard of the first detective prince?_ " Yu smirked.

**"YOUR FRIENDS WITH NAOTO SHIROGANE?!"** Ren exclaimed.

" _Yep!_ The reason why I know of your name is that there were already plans to put you in therapy on top of whatever Shido was planning to do, mostly because I think they wanted to force information out of you. I was on the list of people he might have chosen, and **god** , **thank god,** no one knew Shido planned to try and kill you." Yu remembered just how close he was to running from town.

" _ **Wait, you knew of Shido's corruption beforehand?!**_ " Ren-san tilted his head.

"As I said, I'm friends with Naoto-san. And they told me about how the police were doing weird things."

"Wow. But basically, Shido had puppeteered everything, except us surviving. So, we fought back by stealing his heart. Akechi-san fought us in Shido's Palace and should be dead, but Maruki happened. However, after Shido's heart was stolen, no one seemed to think that it was us, who had anything to do with it, and that Shido was simply ill. This led us to explore Mementos to enact a change of heart on everyone because everyone was acting _**weird**_."

"Yeah... I remember that." Yu added.

"There, we discovered that the people of Tokyo had _**suddenly decided**_ to allow themselves to be imprisoned by the impositions of society at large, that it is easier to allow themselves to give in to a greater force controlling them than make their own decisions on their lives. In the depths of Mementos, we found the public's treasure, a giant Holy Grail. However, it turns out that it was the true ruler of the prison, which spoke to us and demanded that we submit to its power. We tried to **kick its Ass** , but it ejected us out and began to fuse Mementos with the real world." 

"So... that's what happened on Christmas?" Yu inquired.

**_"You remember that?"_** Ren-san blurted.

"I got trapped, but yes, I do," Yu replied. The train he was on had stopped moving and everyone disappeared. He was pretty sure he got knocked out as well, and by the time he woke up, the thieves were dealing with it.

"Well, given the fact that you can't be affected by Maruki, I guess it makes sense. So _anyway_ , I got sent to the Blue room I was talking about earlier, and it turns out that the **Longnose** man was an Imposter, and also the Holy Grail. Or as he called himself, the God Of control, Yaldabaoth. He rigged everything against us. He also said he was, I repeat, _"a god born from the wish of the masses"_ Ren-san explained.

"Well, It makes sense." Yu calmly added.  
 ****

**"WHAT WAIT!?"** Ren-san replied with a shocked shout.

"If Mementos is the Collective Unconscious, and Yaldabaoth, or if you're being specific, Demiurge as he's called normally, says he's a god born from the wish of the masses, then it's simple using Jungian. He's a collection of thoughts about whatever he was doing-trapping humanity?"

"Yep."

"He's a collection of thoughts about Humanity's desire to not think, bunched up, and taking the form of an archetype and breaking out of the Collective Unconscious." Yu span in his chair again.

* * *

**Alright, now we're done with the P5 story. Yu's now explaining Jungian.**

* * *

"Wow, you know a lot," Ren-san said.

"Thanks." Yu starched his head.

'Now, explain those 4 archetypes you were talking about." Ren-san asked as Yu put away his notepad.

"Right. First, The Persona. In Jung, it is the outward face we present to the world. It conceals our real self and Jung describes it as the “conformity” archetype. The Anima/Animus is basically the female part in a male and the male part in a female. According to Jung, the animus represents the masculine aspect in women while the anima represented the feminine aspect in men. The Self is exactly what it sounds like, it's the unified unconsciousness and consciousness of an individual. Creating the self occurs through a process known as individuation, in which the various aspects of personality are integrated. And then... there's the _Shadow_." _Here we go..._

"Why do I feel like I'm about to get hit with A bombshell?" Ren-san asked in the air.

" _"Everyone carries a shadow,"_ Jung wrote, _"and the less it is embodied in the individual's conscious life, the blacker and denser it is."_ One could say that this is the most feared archetype. In Jungian, The Shadow archetype is many things, but it is the part of the psyche where you store the most primitive part of yourself. The selfishness, the repressed instincts, the “unauthorized” self, the sensation of internal conflict that your conscious mind rejects. This is the part that is buried in the deepest recesses of your being. To make things worse, Jung stated that your education and the moral norms of society that tell you what is “bad,” also forms part of your shadow. "

**"Dude... What the."** Ren-san said with a blank stare.

"I'm not done. This idea represents the hidden personality that every human has. On the outside, most of us appear good and kind people. However, there are parts of us that are repressed. These are inherited instincts that violence, anger, and hate sometimes hide."

_"This sounds..."_ Ren-san tailed off.

" _Accurate_? Jungian has existed for a long time. It's not new by any means. The more we repress the shadow, the more **destructive, deceptive, and dangerous** it becomes"

"It sounds so familiar and I hate it." Ren-san deadpanned.

"There's still more! I'm an ACT therapist, as you know, and in a way, you can say I focus on helping people accept this part of themselves. Jung says that our task in life is to accept ourselves completely and integrate our “shadow” into our personalities. That way, we can be aware of it, and work with it face-to-face. We find our fears, our past trauma, the disappointments that poison us, and the dreams that never came true because of our indecision here. But, If we hide all of these inner demons, they become more fierce. If we silence them, they will end up controlling us." 

"Well, it doesn't really sound much like a choice," Ren-san said. _Yu had to resist facepalming._

"You won't think that if you saw it smack you in the face. In a nutshell, that's what I do for a job. If we bring these shadows into the light, we can heal and empower ourselves by accepting those things we hate. And that's the end of my ~~TED~~ talk because I have just realized how long I talked about that." Yu almost felt himself blush. He didn't usually talk that much. It was a bit odd.

"But as you said, that's your job. " Ren-san said.

"Yeah... _Guess I got carried away..._ " Yu smiled sheepishly.

"It's fine." Ren-san beamed back.

"You know, Jung implies that this whole Persona thing has been around for ages. I'm circus, but what if it did turn out that it's been around since Jung? And how would you feel if you met someone who had a Persona even before Shido?" 

"That's a bit... specific," Ren-san said with a tone of caution.

"I know. But it got me thinking about it." Yu wasn't sure why he was asking this in the first place, anyways. Maybe he just needs proof he should trust Ren-san?

"Well, it would be odd, but it would be nice if I wasn't the only one who struggled with supernatural events. And meeting someone with a Persona before this all happened? It would be fun to talk to them. They would understand things most people wouldn't."

"Hmm... alright." Well, yeah. That was how he felt about meeting SEES. But it was different this time because the Phantom thieves were a bit of a moral gray area. His team fought a criminal, the Phantom thieves, by all accounts, were criminals. And yet, he was okay working with them. Probably because of who they were against.

"And... what about your past?" Ren-san snapped him out of his thoughts.

" _Oh_... Well, I've lived a very nomadic lifestyle. My parents are incredibly busy and travel a lot for their work. I never really stayed in any one place for more than two, three years at most, and have never truly settled in any one place. So... I've been places and seen things. Somethings were great...others... **sacred me**." Yu felt himself filch.

"Like what?" Ren-san pushed on.

" _Inaba in 2011_ ," Yu replied in a quiet voice.

"I'm not sure what you mean by that, but I'm sorry for what you've had to suffer." Yu felt the tension in his stomach drop as Ren-san Said that.

"Well... thanks," Yu replied

"Well... now that that's done, we need to get you prepared for going into Maruki's Palace. Mind coming with? I have a place I go to."

* * *

_**At Iwai's shop...** _

* * *

_**Music: Layer Cake (P5)** _

* * *

" _This is not what I was expecting._ " Yu deadpanned.

" **Now you know what it was like for me coming into your cat infested place** ," Ren smirked.

"It's not Cat **infested** , it's cat **heaven**." Yu quickly returned.

"Alright, _fine_." Ren-san shrugged. "What do you like to wield?"

"As in a weapon? Any type of sword is fine for me." Yu replies.

"Yusuke already uses Long swords, so...Hey, can I see that boy?" Ren-san walls over and picks up a shorter sword and hands it over to Yu. Yu swings the sword with great proficiency, that it shocks Ren-san.

"Unfortunately, this isn't a real sword," Yu says in a battle position.

" _ **YOU CAN TELL!**_?" Ren-san exclaims.

Yu nodes back. "Real swords are heavier. I'm trained in Kenjutsu. **(1)** "

"Well... with that, it won't matter." Ren-san sheepish returns.

"What do you mean? Fake swords can't do much damage without speed and force. I mean, once you disarm someone, you can just take their weapon, but that you really can't do with our enemies." Yu added

"Palace's are made of cognition and thoughts, so as long as the enemy believes it's real, it works," Ren explains.

"So... an extreme version of the Placebo effect?" Yu ponders.

"What is that?" Ren-san asked.

"Placebo is a fake pill or shot and doesn't do anything. But some people actually have a response to a placebo. That's the Placebo Effect." Yu described.

"Wow. Okay now... what about a gun?" Ren-san calmly says.

_**"WHAT WAIT?!"** _This, in turn, freaks out Yu.

"Same logic as the sword." Ren-san returned.

"No not that..." Yu shook his head. "You guys use **_GUNS_**?!"

**"Yes."** That was all Ren-san said. Yu was speechless.

"I don't know how to use a **GUN!** " Yu fired back.

"Don't worry. It'll come naturally, and as long as you don't freak out when using it, you'll be fine." Ren-san tried to calm him down.

"I'm not a huge fan of using a _**gun**_..." Yu shook his head. "I mean... it's not that I'm against it, given that it works, but isn't that a bit **overkill**?"

"If it makes you feel better, One of my team members had a persona that had guns under her dress. Also, some shadows completely null normal attacks but not guns."

" _Well_... in that case..." Yu walks up to the counter where the storekeeper is and looks around. He points toward a sniper rifle at some point. "Can I look at that one?"

Ren-san walks over and says "He's with me." The storekeeper gets up and pulls out the rifle Yu was looking at.

" _Overkill_? You're saying a lot for picking a sniper." Ren-san retorts.

"I'm **only** using a gun **because I have to**. I'd better make it painful." Yu replies in a dead-serious tone while feeling the gun. "Yeah. this is good."

"Iwai, how much is it, and what is it?" Ren-san asks.

Now named Iwai-san replies in a gruff but calm voice. "¥65,200 for that model of Izanagi’s Burden."

Ren-san bursts into laughter **" _Oh... pfft! Oh my god! Take my money! The gun's called Izanagi’s Burden! Oh my god!_ "**

" **Huh**. No wonder why I was drawn to this." Yu simply replies as Ren-san hands over the money.

"Thanks, Kid," Iwai-san says. "Not sure what you're gonna be doing with it, but good luck the same."

Yu glances over to ren, who's in a laughing fit. Yu simply sheepishly chuckles. "Inside joke. Thanks." Yu grabs Ren's hand and heads out with him.

* * *

**Music: Silence before the Storms (DM DOKURO, Terraria Calamity mod)/So Happy World (P5R)/Alone (P4)**

* * *

_**Time skip to the evening by Yu getting Ren home...** _

* * *

Yu lied in his bed, looking through the Notes he took. He sighed. **He should** think about this stuff and telling Mitsuru-san after Maruki was gone. Mostly because it was to protect their privacy. But he was scared to tell Ren-san about the fact that this wasn't the first time a major event was fueled by Persona related stuff. Was it out of a fear of rejection? But _why_?

But also to ensure that these kids had a future, **he had to tell them.** With the protection of the Shadow Operatives behind them, they won't be charged with things related to the Phantom Thieves. Heck, even Akechi-san, if it wasn't for the fact he might be _dead_ , could probably find some safety. But for the whole group, convincing Mitsuru-san that the Thieves had to do what they had to do was a different story. _It would probably be all over the place._

He went over to feed the cats and hang out with them. They always cleared his head.

* * *

**1/7, 2017**

* * *

_Yu: cattoblessyourday.png_

_Ren: Aww..._

_Ren: Although... Why are you sending this to me?_

_Yu: I'm just trying to lift your spirit._

_Ren: Thanks._

_Yu: It's my duty to make sure the people I care about are happy._

_Yu: Plus, I have a debt to repay._

_Yu: Both to you and Akechi-san._

_Ren: Oh yeah, about that... how are you feeling?_

_Yu: I'm back to normal._

_Yu: With a great feeling of stress taken off my shoulders._

_Ren: That's good._

_Ren: Well, I gotta go talk to someone right now._

_Ren: See you later!_

* * *

**1/8, 2017.**

* * *

_**Ren has created the group: Makeshift team.** _

_**Yu has been added to the group.** _

_**Akechi has been added to the group.** _

_Ren: Well..._

_Ren: Tomorrow's the big day._

_Yu: I hope you guys are ready._

_Akechi: I was just about to say that._

_Akechi: There's a good chance we're facing Maruki directly Tomorrow._

_Yu: Well, good._

_Yu: I have some words for him._

_Akechi: And yes, I'm ready._

_Akechi: What about You, Amamiya-san?_

_Ren: Same here._

_Akechi: I hope your answer doesn't change by Tomorrow._

_Yu: I just..._

_Yu: Nevermind._

_Ren: You saw Yu. He's not changing his answer._

_Akechi: I was talking about you, Amamiya-san._

_Akechi: Narukami-san will not cave in._

_Akechi: I know that._

_Ren: Oh._

_Ren: I don't think it will._

_Yu: Well, we meeting at the same place?_

_Ren: Yep._

_Yu: Alright then._

_Yu: I'll see you there tomorrow._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ren: So... what do you like welding?  
> Yu: Swords.  
> Ren: We have someone who uses longswords, so you get shortswords.  
> Yu: Okay, sure.  
> Ren: And what about a gun?  
> Yu: WAIT WHAT?!
> 
> (1) Kenjutsu is the umbrella term for all (ko-budō) schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration.
> 
> Yes, I know about Jung and how it works and the whole persona stuff. Don't @ me. Also...Yu is NG, not LG.  
> Fun fact: Yes, that's a Destiny 2 reference. Hehe...  
> I was debating posting this without the next chapter, but I don't want to make you guys wait that long, so know I'm working heavily on the next charapter.


	8. The Glass Slipper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:
> 
> Ren: Here's what happened in our journey.
> 
> Yu: and now I will explain Jung's 4 main archetypes. Take note of the Shadow.
> 
> Ren: dude... let's go buy some weapons.
> 
> Yu: YOU USE GUNS?!
> 
> Ren: For my neutral special, I use a gun.
> 
> This Chapter: The Glass Slipper.
> 
> Yu has some... not so nice words for Maruki. The entire time. Akechi also rages against him. Ren is just shocked at the rage those 2 do.
> 
> Oh and Sumire.
> 
> Or:  
> Yu Bluntness Badass Narukami
> 
> (Yu says the F word in this chapter. I mean, it's Persona and all, but Yu saying the F word may not be for everyone. Talk with your doctor if Yu saying the F word is right for you.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Close to meeeee
> 
> Close to me, Close to meeee
> 
> Close to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, close to meeeeee meeee
> 
> To meeeeeee
> 
> Close To Me- Sabrepulse- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3zMbDCXyhs  
> (If you get it, you get it.)

* * *

_**At Odaiba.** _

_**1/9 2017.** _

* * *

Akechi-san and Yu-san wearing his glasses stood at the place in front of the Palace, as Ren finally got there

"What took you so long?" Akechi-san asked.

Ren raised his arms and showed a few bags. "Buying stuff."

"Very well, "Akechi-san said. "Given the look in your eyes, I'm guessing your friends won't be of any use to us." 

"If we had more time, maybe." Ren returned.

"Well, there's no point complaining if you tried," Yu-san added. "If we can end this here, then we don't have to worry about it."

"Let's go," Ren said.

**"I've been waiting for this,"** Yu-san adds.

* * *

_**Music: Gentle Madman (P5R)** _

* * *

The group arrived in the Palace, with Yu-san wearing his tux and Akechi-san wearing... _however you would describe that._

"I don't like this hat. It's way too big." Yu-san randomly said. He tries taking it off and he removes it. "Oh."

"Problem solved," Ren says. 

Akechi-san looks at the two. "I understand your new to this, Narukami-san, but please try not to slow us down."

Something flickered in Yu-san's eyes, but it went away and he responded with, "I'll try not to. So... where do you think Maruki's hiding?"

  
Akechi-san looked at him. "When we were first here, we encountered an information guide after going up that elevator. If he intends to welcome us in, perhaps we'll find another one soon."

"Fair point," Ren replied.

"I suspect the battles will be tougher, given our team. That combo move we pulled before... That wasn't half bad." Akechi-san addressed Ren.

"Let's go," Akechi-san said as the group headed up the elevator.

* * *

The place was the same as Yu had seen before. It didn't change like he was used to, which was nice. At the main Entrance hall, a voice went off.

"VIP patients identified. Booting up the grand tour...The Auditorium is open. The master awaits you there with the patient you seek." The voice disconnected.

"Just as I thought- they're politely informing us of their Location," Akechi-san said.

"Well, he did invite us, after all. Looks like the doors over there." Yu pointed to a door on the left side and the group ran in. It was a long, white corridor with gray curtains surrounding the walls. A shadow was walking down the hall and Ren-san immediately took cover.

" _Oh, lovely._ You invite us in and everything and yet you still have people here to stop us?" Ren-san scowled. " **Yu-san, practice time!** " He says as he brutally rips the face of the shadow, revealing some demonic-looking bears and... a **Nebiros?** Wasn't that a Persona? But it was a Shadow? **(1)**

* * *

_**Music: Take Over (P5R)/ Time to make History (P4G)** _

* * *

**_Oh, it didn't matter. It was an enemy._ **

How to deal with them? A multi-hitting attack would work, and Yu didn't want to use his trump card. So... calling upon his persona...

"This one's for you!" **Wild thunder!**

Lightning flew across the battlefield as the Nebiros went down, with the teddy bears on low health.

"Nice going, Narukami-san!" Akechi-san says as Ren changes to Sraosha and uses Makougaon. Yu felt his feet get lighter, but it didn't matter as the bears disappeared.

"Not bad for your first fight, Narukami-san." Akechi-san comments.

"Thanks..." Yu replied. "Let's keep going."

* * *

_**Music: Take a short rest. (P5)** _

* * *

At some point, they got to a Room they called a Safe room.

"Why are we stopping here?" Yu asked.

"To rest for a small bit. This room is a gap In Maruki's mind, meaning he has no idea this is even here." Ren-San explained.

" _Dang_ ," Yu exclaimed.

"By the way, Narukami-san, why are you against Maruki?" Akechi-San asked.

_**God**_ , there were so many reasons why, but the most important had to be (that he could share, anyways)...

"If we accept this reality, the world won't progress, because everyone would be happy and there would be nothing to strive for."

"Hmm... Alright then." Akechi-San replies.

"Okay, my turn. " Yu says. "Why did you call Ren-San Joker?"

"We normally use code names. " Ren answered. "Don't worry about it."

"Oh... Okay." 

"By the way, put this on." Ren-san tossed him a box. Inside, there was a small adhesive warp. He warped it around his arm, and he felt it pulse with power, and felt the haze in his mind that he used to cast Wild Thunder slowly disappear.

"A thing a close friend of mine made, called an SP adhesive. It's supposed to provide mental clarity. That's the 3rd version." Ren-san replied.

"How'd you know I'm a spell caster?" Yu asked.

_"I have my ways..."_ Ren-san simply smiles.

"Well, thanks." Yu thanks him anyway.

* * *

**_Let's go._ **

* * *

After some brief exploring and Yu questioning Ren-san on why he was stealing things, to which he said: " _How else do you think I get money?_ ", they finally ran into the Auditorium.

* * *

**Music: Stop**

* * *

The lights were off, and in a flash, they turned on, revealing Maurki and a passed-out Yoshizawa-san sitting on a chair on an elevated platform.

* * *

_**Music: Derises (P5)/ Borderline of Madness (P4D ver).** _

* * *

"Thank you for coming." Maruki calmly said. Yu felt his grip on his blade **stiffen**.

**"What did you do with Sumire-san!?"** Ren-san yelled.

"She's only sleeping. I've never had any intention of hurting her." Maruki replied.

_"I doubt it."_ Yu was already feeling the adrenaline pulse throughout his body.

"I promise you." Maruki just answered."Once her turmoil settles, she'll remember her life as she wishes to live it."

"The life that she wishes for, _**huh**_?" Akechi-san retorted. "Call it what you want, you're merely _brainwashing_ people for your own satisfaction."

"I'm wholly aware many will interpret that way. But if that self-satisfaction leads to the happiness of thousands of others, don't you agree that outcome is for the best?" Maruki countered.

"I'm very sure that's a Messiah complex." Yu fired back. Ren gave him a look of " _Dam_... don't _**piss him** _off." Maruki looked taken aback by that.

"Umm...Well, it doesn't matter. Amamiya-san, I believe you checked on your friends this week." Maruki dismissed the response, but to be honest, Yu couldn't blame him. The caster of the illusion was unaware of his own lies. _What bitter irony._

"Did anyone seem bothered by this reality?" Maruki asked Ren-san. Ren seemed to start to think about it.

"This reality is the real-"

" **Don't. Even. Speak.** " Yu interrupted. 

"But people don't just want to live these lives, they want you to choose this reality and be happy as well." Maruki returned.

"The people I know have a _completely different view_. Ren-san's friends are only like that because you **_FORCED_** it upon them." Yu spat back.

"But they wanted this deep down." Maruki tried to rationalize himself.

" _ **What people want isn't what they need.**_ " Yu isn't having any of that. He's had enough "gods" to know where this is going. "It's like saying that a small part that everyone has is humanity's true desire."

(Ren in the corner: _**DAMM**_ )

"That may be how you feel, Narukami-san, but what about Amamiya-san?" Maruki just turned to Ren-san. "For the sake of Yoshizawa-san, and the rest of your friends, I ask you to give me your answer."

_Yu just facepalmed._

"Man, it hurts, but...no. **Fuck. Off.** " Ren-san replied. He looked up at something, maybe a butterfly? Must be the Velvet Room giving him a hint or something along those lines.

"Negotiations have broken down," Akechi-san stated.

"Seriously, did you really think any of us would accept that deal?" Yu remarked. He smiled at Ren, although... it felt more like a boost of a bond he had felt before.

* * *

**Music: The Spirit (P5)**

* * *

**Yu seems proud of me for some reason...**

**Rank Up!**

**Protect: Chance to shield Joker from an otherwise fatal attack.**

**Endure: Chance to withstand an otherwise fatal attack with 1 HP remaining. (2)**

* * *

_**Music: Derises (P5)/ Borderline of Madness (P4D ver).** _

* * *

"I see..." Maruki said slowly. " It seems we still haven't reached an understanding."

"Maybe if you could... I don't know, **LOOK AROUND AND SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING?**!" Yu shouted out. "Then we could reach an understanding. But for now, you're just as ignorant as the people you forced fog upon them. "

"I'm with Narukami-san." Akechi-san added, " _You're a Blind Idiot with a God complex."_

Yoshizawa-san woke up from sleeping and muttered "No..."

* * *

**Music: Regret (P5)**

* * *

  
" _ **Yoshizawa/Sumire-san!**_ " Ren and Yu both said at the same time.

She got up."You're not serious, right? Please... I'm **begging** you, senpai... please let me live as Kasum!" She sounded close to sobbing again.

"No, it's not healthy." Yu toned down his voice he hadn't even realized was so high.

"Listen to him. Don't run from the truth." Ren-san added.

(Yu in the corner: my boy.)

" ** _But why?!_** This pain is too much... **Why can't I just leave it behind me?!** " Yoshizawa-san was very close to crying. " **Kasumi is gone forever, and.. and** it's **all my- All Sumire's fault! I can't live that kind of life!** "

* * *

_**Music: Blood of Villan (P5)/Borderline of Madness (P4)** _

* * *

"Liston, we can work through this, but for now, we need to get you to safety." Yu calmly stated.

However, it was all in vain, as in a flash of blue fire, her gear was back on. She jumped toward them.

_"Please...don't try to stop me..."_ She pulled out her rapier. _"If you do, then I'll...!"_

"We can work through this! **_This isn't necessary!_** " Yu protested.

"How stubborn... No matter what you two say to her, I doubt she'll understand. I don't think we have a choice here." Akechi-san reasoned. "I could take care of it... but you want her to leave unharmed, right? And Narukami-san, stay out of this."

Yu shook his head. "If you think I'm gonna leave Ren-san alone to fight, your surely mistaken."

Akechi-san just sighed and walked off.

_"Please... Don't make me do this..."_

* * *

_**Music: Keeper of Lust (P5)** **/** **Blooming Villain (P5)/** _ _**A New World Fool (P4)** _

_**An: It fits too well, okay?** _

* * *

" _ **I can't stop this... I Refuse to live as Kasumi's killer!**_ " Yoshizawa-san was already in a battle poss.

"Yoshizawa-san! _**You don't have to do this!**_ " Yu shouted out, only for Yoshizawa-san to summon her Persona and have blades attack Ren. Her Persona was an elegant blue lady with a white dress. As she had yelled out, Cendrillon, the name of the French adaptation of the classic folk tale, Cinderella.

" _Izanagi-no-Omaki, Heat Riser!_ " Yu summoned his Persona to buff Ren. Ren simply nodded back.

'Sumire-san, why? **I don't want to do this to you!** " Ren pleaded as he switched Personas to Ongyo-ki, the ultimate Persona of the Hermit Arcana. Yu felt his power rise slightly.

" **Persona** ," Ren said in a flat tone as the Oni's sword slashed wildly. Yoshizawa-san somehow dodged it all and returned the attack with more blades. Ren didn't even filch.

"I'm scared to attack her, in case I deal unreservable damage," Yu stated. No way was he using Myriad Truths. He used Concentrate, regardless.

"You won't," Ren said as he just rushed in and attacked Yoshizawa-san. Yoshizawa-san did that blade attack this time again but landed a Critical and Ren went down. Yu swore under his breath as Yoshizawa-san targeted him with the attack. Yu just took the attack. It defiantly did hurt, and this was the part he ** _did not_** miss.

" _Sorry about this_ ," Yu said as he casts a move he had only used during the Arena time: Shiden Issen **(3).** He moved his sword forward in a stab and a huge pillar of Lightning rained down on Yoshizawa-san. The battlefield _crackled_ with the energy of the attack.

Ren gets up and says " **That's a lot of damage.** Now I see why you were worried."

_"Why are you doing this to me?"_ Yoshizawa-san speaks up _"Please... just leave me alone!"_

"I can't leave you alone like this" Ren says as he pulls out his gun and shoots her a few times. Yu looks at him, shocked that he would use the gun against her. Yoshizawa-san calls her Persona and seems to use a Charge. Ren's Heat Riser wore off, so Yu just reapplied it.

"He's right, though," Yu spoke up. "You have to come to your senses."

Ren-san simply attacked her with a sip of his blade. Yoshizawa-san uses the blade attack and hits Yu this time, dealing a great deal of damage due to the charge.

"Oh... _geez_..." Yu digs in his pockets, having to search for them, because it's an outfit he's not used to, and eats a Katsu Sando he had lying around.

_"Someone explain how that's in my pockets and why it heals_." Yu deadpans. Ren looks at him and shrugs. 

"If It works, it works," Ren says as he deals one more blow to Yoshizawa-san.

"Yes, but that..." Yu looks at a defeated Yoshizawa-san. " _Nevermind_ , we have more important issues."

Akechi-san finally appears from somewhere and says "Looks like you lost."

* * *

_**Music: Regret (P5)** _

* * *

"... _Why_?" Yoshizawa-san says in complete Despair.

"You can't live that kind of life," Ren-san says.

"Senpai..." Yoshizawa-san looks up to him. "No... I can't... I can't go back to being Sumire..."

"You might feel that way right now, but it'll get better. **I'll make sure of it!"** Yu vowed again.

"But you saw it all for yourself! _It's my own fault that my sister's_..." She couldn't even finish that sentence. " **Why don't you understand!**?"

" **Yoshizawa-san** ," Yu says in a determined tone. "That's my job. Your guilt is huge, and it doesn't help you may have depression, but I'm not leaving you alone till you feel better. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but **I promise**!"

"Why though?! Just let me be Kasumi!" She begs. Out from the corner of his eye, Yu sees Maruki coming down the stairs.

* * *

**Music: Stop**

* * *

"I can give you strength," Maruki says with his arms wide open. "So you don't have to suffer."

Yoshizawa-san turns around to face Maruki. "Tell me: If you want your pain to end," He beckoned, "and desire to live as Kasumi..."

_**"What are you doing?"**_ Yu mouthed out.

"...then I'll actualize it!" Maruki yelled out as black tentacles came from a black smoke behind him, grabbing Yoshizawa-san and rising her up in the sky as she screams out in what Yu thinks is pain. 

_**"How does any of this look okay to you?"**_ Yu needed that answered.

The appendages shook her around, with sparks flying. After she stopped screaming, her mask came off in a flash of blue flame and her Persona appeared, but it was red instead of Blue. _**Holy shit**_... was this one of those cases of a berserk Persona the Shadow Operatives had warned him about? If that's the case, this just got ten times worse. Maruki's ability to do this just got ten times worse...

Was Maruki also a Persona user? Or did he just get this power from a rouge god, like Yu first thought, given what he said? **(4)** A reality warper in itself was dangerous, but if that was the case...

"Did he?" Akechi-san spoke and snaped Yu out of his thoughts. Save Yoshizawa-san now, think about it later.

"Sadly, she has lost sight of herself... She's in pain." Maruki announced. Yeah, **_No Shit, Sherlock!_**

"Now, be her guide, and together, escape from the nightmare!" Maruki pushed in his glasses.

* * *

_**Rivers in the desert ~instrumental version~ (P5)/[I'll Face Myself ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5BDRpeMFkA)** [ **(reincarnation ver)** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5BDRpeMFkA) _

* * *

**"No...I... I can't!"** _Oh shit,_ the Berserk Persona's speaking. " ** _I Don't want to go back to my life in cinders, ever again!"_**

"What the hell..." Akechi-san mumbles. "This so-called " _Kindness_ " of his disgusts me. Let's make this quick."

**"I refuse to go back! I'm happy here... THIS is where I belong!"**

* * *

"I'll rescue you...the only way I know how!" Maruki says, and with a snap of his fingers, he summons things that... _aren't even shadows or demons at this point._ **Hell** _,_ Yu wasn't even sure how to describe these things. 

"Tch, It's gone totally berserk..." Akechi-san grumbled. "We need to stop her Persona!"

The berserk Persona then... _eats_? the _shadow? Persona? whatever thing was_ in a flash of red colors.  
"Did it just eat the shadow!?" Yu exclaims. That was new. And that was saying a lot.

"It probably can heal like that. _Tch_ , what a pain. We need to beat it before it heals itself again!" Akechi-san orders.

"If we defeat the other ones first..." Yu says while casting Wild Thunder. "It won't be able to heal itself!"

The weird things didn't go down, but they sure were low on health. Yoshizawa-san's Persona was... a bit tankier than that. Ren had his Persona, Ongyo-ki, slash wildly again, this time hitting it. Akechi-san screamed out "Loki!" and used an attack that rained down... bullets? Yu had so many questions. But regardless, the shadows went down.

From the back, Maruki snapped his fingers again and more of those weird shadows appeared. Yu groaned as the Berserk Cendrillon ate one of them.

" _ **Thor**_ , give us speed!" Ren switched Personas to raise the team's speed stat, and Yu got the extra bonus of attack.

"Feel my Power!" Akechi-san growled as he hit the Berserk Cendrillon with a new curse attack Yu hadn't see before. God, so many things change in 4 years. Yu had Izanagi-no-Omaki use a Concentrate. Berserk Cendrillon decided to hit everyone with a move Yu _**actually**_ recognized: Vorpal blade.

"Alright, things need to go down," Ren-san announced. " _ **Thor**_ , _Ravage them!"_ With that, Wild thunder came down and even shocked one of the other foes. 

Did Yu need to heal? Nah... "Izanagi-no-Omaki, Bring the storm!!" Shiden Issen on Cendrillon!

Like a sudden blot, Lighting comes down and strikes the Persona on the loose. Yu felt the drain on his mind, but the raw power coming out was all Yu needed to push on. Akechi-san added on by using that bullet rain attack again, defeating the shadow beside the frenzied Persona, high fived Ren-san, who then used a basic Ziodyne. 

But Maruki just snapped his fingers again and more shadows came.

" **Dammit** , there's no end to this!" Akechi-san growled. "Just what the hell is this thing?"

" **I refuse to return! I will never go back to being such pathetic, soot-coated garbage!"** The enraged Persona spoke up.

"You can't tell? It's her refusal to accept the truth..." Maruki added.

" ** _Fucking_** thank you, not like I knew that!" Yu did not care about what he just said. **Maruki has no right to speak like that.**

(Ren in the corner: I have known Yu-san for about a week and he says the f word. I have known Ryuji for over a year and he has seldom said the f word.)

Ren simply sighs. " _Oh god..._ "

" **Tch**... We can't afford to waste time on this shit!" Akechi-san said, quite annoyed.

"We could keep killing them as they come up, but... man, it'll take a lot out of us to do that," Ren-san says.

The Persona began to move around a lot. It was readying another attack! **_Shit!_**

_"Here it comes!"_ Akechi-san said as Yu was already in a guard position.

**_"I don't think so!"_**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1)Bugs (Or Bugbear) was not a Persona in P4, while Nebiros is.
> 
> (2) Why does Yu get these at Rank 2 and not 8 and 9? Simple. While Ren may not know it, Yu is totally willing to take an attack for his Wild Card Kohai. Espacliy if it means he can live to heal the next turn. With him refusing Maruki offer this time, Yu is happy to defend him. Of course... if Ren does accept Maruki's deal... The bond will completely shatter. Yu will probably try to fix reality, but he doesn't know how Palaces work as well as Ren, and Akechi... I'm not talking about that. Basically, Yu has a deep trust and respect in Ren already because he's a wild card and beat a god. And for endure, Yu's a strong boy. Plus, these are the tactics that Yu understands better. (and this is the end game, after all.)
> 
> (3) Translates to Violet-Volt Brandish, or as it's known in the English version, Lightning Flash.
> 
> (4) While Ren may have explained that Shadow Selfs usually run Palace's, he never talked about the fact that generally, a Persona user cannot develop a Palace, as a Persona user almost always has a clear grasp of their desires. This means that Yu doesn't have that belief, and can openly think that. Plus, even if he did know that he's seen Shadow Self take over their owners before, and the fact he's had his own Persona turn back into a shadow (that never was) in the anime, which is the P4 I'm going with, so he won't limit his thinking to that.
> 
> Maruki, he's so hard to write, because I want to do him justice, but I have a tough time writing sympathetic villains. And then there's Yu, who I love to write because he's all about brutal honestly, and Maruki doesn't do too well angst that...
> 
> Anyways, I decided to make Yu a heavy, powerful spellcaster but doesn't have the best way to attack without magic. If someone nulls Elec, he's kinda screwed. Here are Yu's moveset and stats.
> 
> HP: 500
> 
> SP: 470
> 
> Level: 77.
> 
> (His HP is supposed to be a bit on the low side.)
> 
> Country Maker: Raises a stat every time Joker changes Personas for 3 turns. Does not stack with already active buffs.  
> He has no weakness, but only Absorbs Elec and Nulls Curse.
> 
> Wild Thunder: Severe Electric damage to all foes. Small chance of shock. SP Cost: 54 SP  
> Myriad Truths: 2-3 heavy almighty damage to all foes. Costs half of his total SP, meaning he can only use this twice without extra SP from somewhere else. I did some Calculations, and with an SP adhesive 3, it would take 7 turns for Yu to recover the amount. That's assuming he's not using other spells.  
> Shiden Issen: Colossal Electric damage to one foe. Small chance of shock. SP Cost: 67 SP  
> Heat Riser: Increase 1 ally's Attack, Defense, and Agility for 3 turns. SP Cost: 30 SP  
> Brain Jack: Inflict Brainwash (medium odds) to all foes. SP Cost: 12 SP  
> Concentrate: Multiply user's next magical attack damage by 2.5. SP Cost: 15 SP  
> Mediarahan: Fully restore party's HP. SP Cost: 30 SP  
> Elec Amp: Strengthen Electric attacks by 50%. Passive
> 
> Next level: 78.  
> Unlocks Almighty Boost: Strengthen Almighty attacks by 25%. Passive


	9. The clock strikes midnight.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:
> 
> Maruki: *exists*  
> Yu: *exists*  
> Yu: Your very existence is problematic.  
> Maruki: Sumire's Persona's going Berserk.  
> Yu: Oh f word thank you!  
> Ren: DAMMMM
> 
> This Chapter: The clock strikes midnight.  
> At the end of the day, Cinderella has to go back to being the girl who sweeps the ashes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I fell to the ocean floor  
> Fading light through an open door  
> Saw myself rise with the water  
> They thought they could keep me down  
> Hold their breath and watch me drown  
> But all they did has pushed me higher  
> -Till it's over, Tristam
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR1ZdHqEPGI

A young boy wearing a black jacket with elbow pads came from nowhere and defended against the incoming Vorpal blade. Yes. **All of it.** And then Ren-san announced:

****_"Skull, you beautiful bastard!"_ ** **

* * *

****_Music: Rivers in the desert_ ** ** **_(P5)_ **

* * *

" **Dammit** , Skull, I told you not to rush in like that!" Another boy's voice said. That was a bit of a mood whip-lash.

"Oh no, I'm glad he did," Yu muttered under his breath.

"At least it seemed to work out in our favor." This time a girl's voice spoke up.

"Hey guys, I knew you'd be here." Ren-san looked over to the group of the masked people, and Yu smiled. Maruki, never **underestimate the power of bonds!** Wow, okay, that was cheesy. ~~also, that group had a cat. a cat. Now was not the time, but... **IT WAS A GODAM CAT!**~~

"Our apologies for making you wait so long." A refined member of the group spoke up.

 _"Is that..._ " A charming voice trailed off...

" **Akechi-kun and Dr.Maruki!?** _And who's the gray-haired boy?_ " A different voice, a girl this time, asked out loud.

" **Yoshizawa's trapped by- Why's her Persona doing this?! What in the world is going on here?!"** The cat, Mona-kun, yelled.

"Okay, **look**. I know you guys are out of the loop, but we don't have time for this" Yu then said some unintelligible mumbling: "... _less talk, more fight_."

"He's got a point. None of this _shit makes any sense_ , but we'll talk about this later." The random defender said. "We have to stop her first, right, **Joker**?" Ren-san nodded back.

"All right! Let's _get in formation!_ " The cat spoke **~~AAAAAAAAAA~~** " **Gray hair boy** , get behind me! " Umm... That cat has sass. But still.

"I can fight!" Yu recoiled. He didn't want to talk back to a cat, but he made Yoshizawa-san a **promise**. And that started by breaking her out of... _this._

The cat looked him over. " **Fine** , but Joker, call me in when you have to."

* * *

"Okay guys, leave the Navigation to me!" The group's Navi used some form of telepathy to talk **(1)**. "Let's push 'em back!"

Maruki seemed to mutter something. All Yu knew was that he was **shocked**. The Persona bursts out a Vorpal blade again. Ren switches Personas to Asura, the ultimate Persona of the Sun Arcana, with Yu's attack going up, and uses a blue explosion attack, although it's not Almighty. Akechi-san used that bullet rain attack again, sadly missing one of the shadows. Yu decided to Concentrate. The blond boy's Persona used a Maziodyne.

One shadow used a Heat Riser on itself, the other a fire attack on Ren-san which he completely **nulled.** The Bresrek Persona uses a muti-hitting bless attack, which Akechi-san doges.

"Crow's Got some moves!" The Navi announces. Futaba-san, right?

Ren-san switches Personas _(again)_ and goes into Micheal, raising Yu's speed, and uses a Debilitate on Cendrillon. Akechi-san attacked with the same move as last time.

It was time for Yu to act. It was **time to end this.** This was going to do a crap ton of damage. He gathered himself before he simply smiled.

 _ **"Thousands die while a million are born."**_ Maruki can't get away with doing this. "This fight… **is over!"**

 **Myriad Truths!** The attack rains down, completely destroying the other shadows. The Battlefield itself seemed to rumble with the raw energy of a thousand truths.

To _**Yu's utter shock**_ , the Bresrek Persona was still standing, albeit it heavily damaged.

**_"I have no idea how it's still standing after that,_** " Yu muttered. Akechi-san looked at him with a sense of... **awe**? Or was it awe in the fact he was able to do that? Maruki looked... was that **_Dread_**? Did he only just realize how screwed he was?

"It looks like that _worked_!" The Navi cheered. "Just a little longer!"

Maruki summoned more shadows. The Bresrek Persona used the Bless attack again, this time hitting Akechi-san and downing him. As a response, the Persona targeted Yu with the Sword attack and landed a _**critical**_ , knowing him of his feet. **SHIT. (2)** One more sword attack went on Akechi.

" **Everyone, are you OK?** Focus on healing up!" The Navi shouted.

" ** _Oh, shit,_** " Ren-san said. "Kohryu, Mediarahan!" A cool wind passed over the party, Yu felt his body restore, and harden up.

The Blonde boy uses an attack that Yu was pretty sure was the **powerhouse** of Agneyastra that Chie used so often. Meteors rained down, ultimately destroying the summoned shadows _again_.

Akechi-san got up, and in a _very dark tone_ , said **"You'll pay for this with your life!"**

"Don't be too scared by what you're about to see," Ren-san said as Both Akechi-san and he jumped up into the air, Akechi-san running wildly and slashing. Ren simply shot his gun at the Persona once Akechi-san was done.

" _ **Ahh**_... _I can hear them_... _the bells of midnight_... _are tolling_..." The Persona spoke in a defeated, worn-out tone. " _Now, my dream... won't be..._ "

* * *

_**Everyone (but Ren) Leveled up!** _

_**Yu learned Almighty Boost!** _

_**Yu replaced Mediarahan.** _

* * *

_**Music: Regret (P5)** _

* * *

The tentacles let go of Yoshizawa-san as the Persona disappeared. Yoshizawa-san dropped to the floor in her normal outfit, with Ren-san holding her. Yu gestured as he got on the floor to Ren-san to let him hold her. Ren-san slowly but surely gave Yoshizawa-san to Yu.

" _You've all..._ " Maruki looked around, confused. "I **can't believe** you've thrown away your happiness to come here and... **And How? It's Impossible...** "

" _There are some things that you don't know, Maruki._ " Yu closed his eyes and simply smiled.

"So.. you are Dr.Maruki, right?" One of the females asked, to which Maruki solemnly nodded and confirmed. " **More importantly, why are-** "

" **Dude**... **what the hell's doc doing inside a Palace!**? " The Blonde interrupted him and shouted out.

"He's ruling this Palace, is what he's doing." Akechi-san barked. "Not only that, he's the one who's generated this whole distorted reality- **isn't that right, Maruki-** _ **san?** "_

"All of this was done for your own joy." Maruki tried to counter Akechi-san's remark.

" _Our Joy?_ " One of the boys questioned.

"That's **right**." Maruki painfully replied. "I only wanted to grant your wishes... _Each and Every one..._ "

" _You didn't want this to happen, did you?_ " Yu surprisingly chuckled. "You made a **grave** mistake. People won't just choose a false reality over the real one. At least, that's what I believe. **They only accept it if you force it upon them."**

 _ **"Wait, what?"**_ The Blonde boy yelled out. "We never wished for anything-"

" _Yes. Yes, you did._ " Yu sighed.

"I _give_ _it_ _to_ _Narukami-san_ on that," Ren mumbled to himself. 

" **What?** " The loud teen was confused.

" _Nevermind._ " Maruki shook his head. "So you all **intend** to deny the reality I've created for you... If you want to fight me... _then so be it._ If you plan on changing my heart, _that's fine too_. But before that- I think there's still room for discussion here."

" _Oh, my gooood..._ " Yu groaned out.

"Also, I believe taking care of Yoshizawa-san is more important than setting this issue right now," Maruki said. Well, at least he's giving them a chance.

"Planing to run again?" Akechi-san bite back.

"We can go back to fighting if that's what you want, but I think you're rather exhausted at the moment," Maruki replied. Actually, they could keep going for a while, but Yoshizawa-san was _**way more important.**_

Yoshizawa-san opened her eyes and was groaning. The group closed in on her to check on her. Maruki took that time and ran.

" _There's still time._ " He used an intercom to speak to them. "February 3rd. I'll hear your final decision by then. If your views can't align with mine by then, we'll have no other choice but a physical altercation. As much as I would loathe that, I still can't give up what I've started... _What I swore I'd do_... on the day I lost everything that mattered to **_me!"_**

Maruki's intercom shut off.

"I've lost his reading." The Navi stated.

"I want to pursue him, but I doubt that's even possible right now." Another one of the girls said.

"We need to get out of here. Yoshizawa's gotta rest." The Blond Boy said. The group nodded, and then there were back out at Odaiba.

* * *

_**Music: Alleycat (P5)/ Any chill music if you want.** _

* * *

Yu held Yoshizawa-san in his arms while standing up, having her body rest on his. Standing in front of him now, was the group in normal clothes for the winter.

"I'm still just as shocked as I was when we first came here..." A boy with Blue hair pulled out his phone. "The Navigator's returned to our devices... A Palace is visible in our own reality..."

"Um, does the mean reality's broken right now, or something?" A blond hair girl asked. "Something to do with Maruki, anyway."

" _You can say that._ " Yu shook his head.

"Hey, Ren-How much do you already know about this? And who is this gray-haired boy?" THE CAT SPOKE. ~~**AS A CAT! IN THE REAL WORLD! HE JUST MET A TALKING CAT! THIS IS A DREAM COME TURE!** ~~This must be Mona-kun. It has to be!

"It's gonna bother me if I don't say this, but my hair is more silver than gray. Also. **This cat is talking and I freaking love it.** " Yu put Yoshizawa-san to rest on Ren-san's shoulder, dropped down, and picked the cat up.

" **HEY! Let go of me!** " He meowed.

" _Oh, okay._ " He put the cat on Ren's shoulder and took back Yoshizawa-san.

Ren simply deadpanned. " **Yeah...** I should explain."

"To sum it up in a nutshell, After new years eve, people started to come back to life, and various wishes have been granted. And no one seemed to care about what happened over the night. So me and Akechi-san, who is cognizant of these discrepancies, wanted to know what was going on. Then Surmie-san called me, saying a mysterious Palace is visible here. At some point, we found him" Ren-san points to Yu "Wandering around in there."

"Well, _I guess I do_ owe you an explanation of how I got in there." Yu shook his head. "I'm Yu Narukami-"

**"Wait!** Your one of Shiho's therapists!" the blond girl from earlier interrupted him.

Yu simply smiled back at her. "So, then you must be the Ann Takamaki-san I hear so much about. She talks a lot about you, you know. In fact, it was because of her, I realized something was wrong. As Takamaki-san just stated, I'm a therapist. Specifically, an ACT therapist. I texted Shiho-san and she said some stuff, to which I can't talk about it to keep Confidentiality, that triggered me off. Not only that, some of my cats no longer had things like a missing leg."

"Oh yeah, he _**forsters 12 cats,**_ " Ren added.

" _Anyways_..." Yu moved on. "I started to look around, that was around the time I saw the group hanging his fuzzy tower. They bought me on accident, and I managed to avoid getting attacked because I could tell where the shadows were. At some point, they found me, and then we found out about Maruki made everyone's desires into reality. Also, the real Kasumi is dead, and the "Kasumi" you've come to know has come to know is her twin sister, Sumire Yoshizawa. Through counseling, Maruki had subconsciously caused Sumire to believe that she was Kasumi to try and have her cope with Kasumi's death. Then Maruki seized her _... and..._ _**umm... firck,**_ I don't remember much, other than me just being angry at him and a lot of blood."

"Let me guess: Your mind is fuzzy around that," Ren smirked. Yu nodded back. "Well, you got attacked. Then you started talking about what Maruki was doing, and you then screamed. A lot. **I mean a LOT.** We had to scream to talk over you. Then you scared Maruki into running away after riping out your Persona. After that, he wanted me to see you guys, you know what happened there, and then we went into the Palace to try and get Sumire-san back, and now, here we are."

"So Dr. Maruki..." A young girl in a green sweater mumbled.

"He altered our reality... to make our dreams come true?" A girl wearing a pink hat asked.

"This is all too much for me to handle at once..." The blue-haired boy said.

"Well, still... _ **Hello Narukami-san!**_ " The blond boy looked at him. 

"Apologies for the interruption-mind if I interject?" Akechi-san came out of nowhere.

"That's _**Right**! Akechi!_" The blond boy then faced him.

"There's no reason to be defensive." He calmly said, "Had I wished to kill you all, I would've simply done so already."

"He's helping," Ren-san said. Under his breath, he muttered, " _for now._ "

"So you're not here to fight us?" A girl with darker red eyes asked.

" _ **Listen**_ , I know you guys have had problems in the past, but for now, can we put them aside?" Yu asked.

"Narukami-san is quite correct." Akechi-san picks up. "Not only that, since me, Narumaki-san and Amamiya-san refuse to accept reality as Maruki makes it, we currently have the same goal."

"So what you're saying is, you're using them." The kitty speaks again.

"Having the same goal is different than being used," Yu replies. "What about all of you, **though**? What are you going to do from here on out?" Yu turned to ask the group.

"Maruki seems to be telling the truth about taking your happiness into consideration," Akechi-san added. "While his heart is distorted, he is quite different from the adults whose hearts you've changed so far. Now that you know his intentions, I'm most interested in learning whether you still plan on fighting him or not."

" _What do you mean?_ " The blue hair boy asked another question.

"I'm up against someone with the power to distort reality as we know it. The More allies on my side, the better." Akechi responds. "If we all share the same goal, shouldn't we join forces and improve our odds?"

"Akechi-san speaks reason, you know," Yu said. "Even if you guys don't help, I think I'll probably try to figure this out. Which means me and Akechi-san will probably be teaming up."

Yoshizawa-san begins to move and groans a bit. She must be awake.

"I'll be going now. Be sure to consider my point." Akechi says as he walks away.

"Hey... Hey!" Blond boy yells at him, only to turn around. "Geez..."

"Yoshizawa! Are you all right?" Mona-kun says.

 _"i.."_ She mutters.

"Can you stand?" Ren-san asks.

"Yes!" She affirmed as she stood and stoped hanging on Yu's shoulder.

 _"I'm sorry that I... caused you all so much trouble..."_ She said in a low voice.

" _No no,_ you don't need to apologize!" Takamaki-san quickly replied.

"We should probably go our separate ways for now and discuss it at a better time." The dark brown haired girl added.

"Yeah. Tomorrow we can..." The blond boy trailed off. "Oh yeah, third semester's starting' up tomorrow, right?"

" **Really?** **You guys have school at a time like this?** " Yu said. _"Although..._ that's not saying a lot because I have a job. _But said job is umm...well...you know."_ Yu then also trailed off.

"I guess we're going back to school..." Takamaki-san shared. "We still don't have any idea what we want to do from here on out, _though..._ "

"We've got time." The cat commented. "Maruki said he'd wait until February 3rd before... Let's really think it over before making our decision."

"I have no doubt you'll choose the right option," Yu said before they all went their own ways. Mostly to lie in bed. _Bed... bed was cozy and warm and god he wanted it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) I'm pretty sure that's what it is.  
> (2) Sence Yu doesn't have a weakness, the only way for him to go down is via a technical or cit.  
> I had to split this chapter. It was getting very long.


	10. Break It Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:  
> PTs: Yo what happened? Why is there now a gray-haired yet 22-year-old boy here?  
> Ren and Yu: Let me explain.
> 
> ~~~~  
> This Chapter: Break it down.  
> At long last, these children have adult supervision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Way too close to my liking:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38Tbt2Ynwyw&feature=youtu.be  
> 50 kudos! Thank you, everybody!

* * *

_**Music: Beneath the Mask (P5)** _

* * *

Ren headed to the attic. Morgana looked at him, and he looked at him.

" _ **What?**_ You got something to say?" He asked.

Ren smiled. "You were quite the looker, kitty."

" _ **Look who you're talking about!** How could I be anything else?!_" Morgana reiterated. " _Sheesh_... all this trouble with Yoshizawa and Maruki... we've got nothing but problems right now..."

"That's not necessarily true," Ren said as he sat down on his bed.

"What do you mean?" He tilted his head.

"Yu-san. You saw what he was able to do. He's not a push-over. If anything, I should talk to him about joining our group."

"Well, I guess you are right. But I get a feeling from him..." Morgana trailed off

"What kind of feeling?" Ren asked him.

"It's not a bad feeling, it's just different. It's kinda like the vibe I get off of You, Ren."

"Oh really?"

"It just feels a little weaker."

"Hmm..." 

"Well, anyway, we should all meet up at the hideout. We got to recap the situation and hold a strategy meeting."

Ren pulls out his phone.

_Ann: I've been trying to wrap my head around all this, and..._

_Ann: It's simply not happening._

_Haru: I can hardly blame you. I'm still so confused myself._

_Makoto: Either way, I think we've all earned a bit of rest._

_Makoto: Maybe a good night's sleep will help us all calm down._

_Yusuke: You're right._

_Yusuke: Certainly, the combat has us tired out as well. We could all use some time to decompress._

_Ryuji: Well, on that note, good night!_

"Well, we're going to need time to figure all this out. Either way, we can think about this tomorrow. For now... we should go to sleep." Morgana said.

"Can I not make tools?" Ren protested.

"I doubt your up for that. _**Go. To. Sleep."**_ Morgana demanded.

Ren hopped in his bed,

* * *

_**Music: Aria of the Soul/Hymn of the Soul.** _

* * *

fell asleep and found himself in the Velvet Room.

"It's been quite some time," Lavenza spoke. Ren got up and resiled he was in prison gear again.

"We have finally achieved reaching you." She smiled.

"So umm... **why** am I in this gear again?" Ren asked.

"You have been confined once more..." she said. "This time, not by the God of Control, but a different existence.. one who's bound you through your future."

"However, you held firm to your free will, and believed in your bonds, allowing your friends to regain their own realities. And not only that, but fate has allowed the Seeker to show up on your path. You are on the verge of seizing a potential reality once more." She smiled back. By Seeker, was she talking about Yu-san? Ahh, the velvet room people tend to be cryptic. _It was probably Yu-san._

"Us meeting again is poof enough." The prison bells went off. "It seems the time has come."

" **Well, what do I do now?** " Ren asked.

"We are merely beings who provide assistance to humans as they carry out their will. You must be the one to determine the path and actions to take, even with the Seeker. If the will of rebellion still thrives within you, then we will surely meet again."

And with that, he left the velvet room.

* * *

**1/10,**

**Shujin Academy.**

**Music: So Boring (P5)/Specialist (P4. Play the dancing if you so want...)**

* * *

Ren's phone went off.

_Yusuke: Is everyone rested up?_

_Ann: More or less... my mind was racing so much that I passed out before I even realized it._

_Haru: Same here._

_Haru: I think I've sorted through my own thoughts, but I'd still like to hear everyone else's take._

_Ren: Yeah, I have something to tell you all._

_Ren: Also, Yu-san._

_Makoto: What about him?_

_Ren: Can we invite him to the hideout?_

_Makoto: Well, he helped you, didn't he?_

_Makoto: And awoke in there as well._

_Makoto: I think it's fine._

_Ryuji: Plus, having extra firepower wouldn't hurt._

_Ren: Alright, let's all meet at the hideout after school._

_Ren: I'll get in touch with Yu-san._

_Ren: Hey Yu-san._

_Yu: Yes?_

_Ren: Okay, we, the phantom thieves, have decided to invite you into the hideout spot._

_Yu: Wait, really?_

_Ren: Mostly because we're gonna be talking about what to do._

_Ren: Given as you have a Persona,_

_Ren: We thought it best if you teamed up with us._

_Yu: Wait, so you are fighting Maruki?_

_Ren: We still haven't decided._

_Ren: As a group._

_Ren: And we're gonna be talking about that._

_Yu: Oh. Okay._

_Yu: Where is it?_

_Ren: Cafe Leblanc._

_Yu: Alright then._

_Yu: Plus... I kinda need to meet everyone._

_Ren: Yeah, fair point._

_Ren: I'll just throw this out here._

_Ren: Me and Ryuji?_

_Ren: We're dating._

_Yu: What wut._

_Ren: Ryuji is the blond boi._

_Ren: He's my boi._

_Ren: Nobody touches the good boi._

_Yu: okay then..._

_Yu: Not that I'm against Male/Male relationships,_

_Yu: Just..._

_Yu: That's a little random._

_Ren: Everybody knows._

_Yu: ...okay..._

* * *

_**Music: My Homie (P5)/Signs of Love (P4)** _

* * *

Yu-san was walking to Leblanc as Ren waited outside. He was wearing a bag by his hip, his glasses, and some black gloves on top of his gray peacoat.

"Thank you for waiting for me." Yu-san bowed.

"No problem." Ren smiled as he opened the door. The group was waiting.

" _ **Hey**_ , Narukami-san!" Ann said as he walked in.

"Hello, Takamaki-san." Yu-san flashed a bright smile.

"Oh, there's no need to be so formal with me. Just call me Ann." She quickly replied.

" **Oh**. Well, in that case, I don't mind if you guys just call me Yu." Yu looked at the group. "After all, from what I've heard, you're all great friends to Ren-san."

"Yu, if you're okay with us calling that, you don't have to call me Ren-san anymore. Ren is just fine." Ren turned to him.

"Well, I know I've said my name, but let me formally induce myself." Yu bowed again. "I'm Yu Narukami, A recently licensed therapist. As Ann pointed out, Shiho-san is one of my clients. I Specialize my approach in ACT, or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, but I do have practice in CBT. For Issues, I deal with a lot of things but have more experience in Trauma and Relationships." Yu's face turned solemn.

"That being said, When you guys had Ren get kidnapped, I was this close to being stuck with Shido. I would rather not talk about it, because that was scary as heck."

"Oh... I'm so sorry." Haru said.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask..." Yu looks at Haru. "Are you actually Haru Okumura?"

"Yes, that would be me." She smiles back.

" _I... I'm sorry for your loss_." Yu turns his head. " _Words_ can not explain how worried I was about you. I'd been keeping a close eye on the whole Phantom Thieves thing, and I tried so hard to find some way to contact you and make sure you were okay. I'm glad to see you're okay, but I have the feeling I'm **still** gonna beat myself up for not being able to step in fast enough."

" _Yu..._ " Ann trailed off.

"Most people thought you were murderers or something, but I thought it was something else." Yu shook his head. "It didn't make any sense for that to happen. And yet, everyone seemed to blame you. I just... guess I followed my gut and it led me there. And then Christmas. What the _**hell**_ happened?"

" **You remember that?** " Yusuke asked.

"Well, of course, I'd remember claw-like things trapping me on the bus." Yu deadpanned. "But no one else seems to remember, so it's not a big deal. And then you know what happened."

" _Alright then..._ " Ryuji moved his leg onto the table. "It's our turn! I'm Ryuji Sakamoto. Gonna be a bit old having an adult here, but it is what it is."

Ryuji points toward Ann, "And that's Ann Takamaki, but you already knew that." 

"Still, it's a pleasure to met You!" She smiled at Yu. "Shiho talks **a lot** about you. "

"It seems I'm next," Yusuke spoke up. "I'm Yusuke Kitagawa. I am an artist at Kosei High School. _**I strive for beauty!**_ Your hair color is quite an exceptional shade of silver. You clearly know how to dye your hair well."

"Well... thanks but..." Yu shrugs. "This is my natural hair color."

"Wait, **_really_?"** Ann asks.

"Yes, that is a thing that can happen," Matoko speaks up. "It's called Premature Graying of Hair. **(1)** What was your hair color before?"

"I was a black-haired boy," Yu claims.

"Hmm, well, I'll go next" Matoko addressed. "Makoto Niijima. Third-year and Student council president of Shujin Academy." 

"I'm Futaba Sakura." She said as hid under the table.

"And you already know the rest." Morgana hopped on the counter. "As for me, I am Morgana, the-"

" **Phantom thieves lovable cat guide! Yes! I Know! Ren was talking about you!** " Yu was... in _**mania**_... was the best way to describe him. **"You are so adorable! Can I pet you?"**

Morgana seemed... _worried_.

"At least you asked," Morgana grumbled. "Ugh...fine."

Yu then started gently petting him.

"Oh wow, you're really good at this!" Morgana smiled. " _ **Hey, that tickles!**_ "

"You turned around fast," Ryuji muttered. 

"Boy fosters 12 cats," Ren added. "That's to be expected."

 _ **"Wow!"**_ Haru exclaimed. "How do you handle that many?"

"By... _maybe somewhat alright, probably addicted to cats._ " Yu bluntly and quickly states. "It's alright though, it's not an actual addiction."

" _Aww...._ " Ann purred. "Meow!"

Yu smiled back and also said "Meow!" His smile then turned back to a neutral face.

"I was thinking about something. Personas are the will of rebellion as well as our other half, right?" Yu asked, although... again, something flickered in his eyes for just a tiny bit

"That's right." Morgana nodded back as he walked away from Yu.

"Well, I thought to myself," Yu looked directly at the group, "I'm not exactly... rebellious, at least like you all are."

" _Aww, don't discredit yourself._ " Ann countered.

"But that's when it **hit** me. I reach for the truth. And to do that, you have to fight the thing which hides it. Lie s. I'm Rebelling against Lies. I always have been." Yu started. "Lies are used so often to control people...to search for the truth is to deny a person's ability to restrain you with falsehoods. I hate how long it took me to realize it, but... being a truth seeker is rebellious."

"You currently have something with the truth," Makoto replied. 

"Me and the truth... we have a long history of **cat** and mouse," Yu answered Makoto's semi-question. "But Maruki isn't hiding the truth anymore. He's changing it. And that means I... **I want to steal the truth back.** **I want to take back the reality I believe in."**

Yu then shook his head. "To think... Someone like me...Wanting to steal. Heh. Well, it is what it is. And this is where I turn to you. If you choose to fight Maruki, let me help you break this glass. I refuse to sit around. In fact, I think it was my inability to do anything about Yoshizawa-San that truly caused.... _that_... To happen."

* * *

_**Music: Wicked Plan (P5)/Deduction (Another Ver, P4)** _

* * *

"Speaking of that... we should really get to talking about that," Makoto added. "What did you have to tell us, Ren?"

"Right." Ren nodded back. "Lavenza was talking a lot about Yu, but that's kinda normal for them. What she said that matters is that we need to choose our own path."

"Yu might not know who Lady Lavenza is," Morgana continued.

"I'm assuming it's related to that blue room you were talking about?" Yu questioned. "Where you fuse your Persona's?"

"You catch on quick," Ren replied. "But yes, that's it. She helps me with that."

"So...We have to choose our own path, eh?" Yusuke muttered. "Akechi had said that we needed to determine what we'll do from here on out-it indeed seems he was indeed right.

"We can't accept this reality, but... that means we'll have to fight Dr.Maruki, right?" Haru worriedly asked.

"That is what that means," Yu warned. "I know what I'm going to do, but I understand that it might be a bit hard for you all, considering you all knew Maruki."

"We will be stealing his desire as well." Morgana meowed from a chair." In a way, it's usual for us."

"Which means it should just go kinda normally. '' Ren added.

"Dr. Maruki is an adult with a warped desire _...but..._ " Ann said, slowly speaking. "That's just a wish for us all to be happy, right?"

"That's what makes him so weird," Yu replied. "I honestly think the man has a messiah complex that needs to be filled. And I've never had to deal with one."

"I admit, it's nothing similar to the desires we've seen in the likes of Shido and Kamoshida," Morgana announced.

"The Phantom thieves only change the hearts of Evildoers. Dr. Maruki is considerably different from our past targets..." Haru trailed off.

"Well, I still think we know what we have to do," Ryuji spoke up. "Haru's right- Dr. Maruki ain't a shitty adult at all. There are probably plenty of folks out there, happy in this reality. Maybe Dr.Maruki's actually doing the right thing."

_"Eh, I don't agree," Ren muttered under his breath._

"But all of us here feel like this reality's wrong, right?" Ryuji asked. "We decide what's right for ourselves. That's what the Phantom Thieves agreed on when we went after Ren. If changing Doc's heart fixes our reality, then I'm gonna do it. And If Yu wants to help, then so be it, let him join us."

After a bit of silence, Ryuji spoke again.

"Umm.. somebody say something!"

"No, you pretty much got all the right points there, Ryujo," Ren said, adding his pet nickname for Ryuji.

"So, we're going to change our target's heart not to reform society, but to acquire the reality we believe in." Yusuke summarized. "That doesn't sound so bad."

" **Then it's Unanimous!"** Ann smiled, and the group nodded their heads.

"Well, that means our next step is pretty clear," Morgana announced. " **Yu** , _welcome to the Phantom thieves."_

Yu was taken back by that. " **Wait, really?!** I'm not gonna revoke that, but I mean, _it's that simple?"_

"It's not all that simple. We don't just take random people." Morgana replied to answer Yu's shock. "You have to be skilled to land here."

"So now, Palace time." Ren flashed his glasses.

"Right. Maruki said that he'd be willing to fight if we are. It's safe to assume he's expecting us to infiltrate his Palace. And so, we have to teach Yu the basics."

" **God, thank you.** " Yu quickly replied. "I understand... _like 10% of this."_

"That reminds me-You know that uh... _reality-bending stuff?"_ Ryuji asked. "Why's Doc able to do that, anyway?"

"I've been wondering the same thing." Futaba, who Ren now realizes hasn't spoken much, comments. "Even if he was the top cognitive psience expert, that wouldn't be enough for him to do all of this weird warping stuff."

"If we're going to fight Maruki, we'd better dig up some more intel on him first," Morgana says and Ren's phone goes off. He answers the call.

"Good Day," Lavenza called. "This is Lavenza speaking"

Ren said something untellable, and then said **"Hi Lavenza!"**

 **"Lady Lavenza?!"** Morgana yells.

"Your will of rebellion has attained new heights. We would like to aid such will, should you find it agreeable." She says over the phone to Ren.

"I mean... that'd be _**helpful**_ ," Ren returns.

 **"Wait, how is she even calling you?"** Ryuji asks.

 _"The twins did it too, man,"_ Ren remarked.

"And how'd she know how high our wills are?" Futaba then gasped. _**"Did she tap your line or something?!"**_

"Her timing was just too perfect... **Maybe she actually did!"** Ryuji answered.

"I have performed no form of electronic surveillance whatsoever." Lavenza seemed to reply to the whole group

"Yeah, she's just magical," Ren remarked... _again._

"And apparently can hear you," Yusuke added.

"I'll just put her on speakerphone." Ren hits a few buttons before putting the phone down.

"There's something I wish to tell you regarding your current situation." She states. "However, I'm reaching the limit of my communication ability with this method. Lets us meet in person tomorrow."

"Where?" Ren asks.

"It would be best for me to select a location considered easy to reach by all parties." She lets out a thoughtful hum. "Therefore, let us convene at your school."

"At Shujin?" Morgana seemed to ask worriedly.

"She'll be at the school?" Ann also asked, a bit concerned.

"In that case, I'll see you tomorrow." Lavenza hangs up.

"Is she _**really**_ gonna go to our school?" Ryuji questioned. "Just walk through the front gates like nothin'?"

"I'm not sure what to make of it..." Haru wryly commented. 

" **Never mind that!"** Yu exclaimed. " _How am I supposed to get in?!_ "

"But since we've determined our goal and Lavenza's offered to help us..." Haru just seemed to ignore Yu. "I'd call that progress of some sort."

_"Some sort..." Ren mumbled._

"All we have left is whatever we discuss tomorrow, and whether we're going to team up with Akechi," Morgana stated.

"If I may, let me speak," Yu says to gather attention in the room. "I know you all have problems with Akechi-san. I, clearly, don't have as many, aside from _...well... you know._ But Akechi-san has the same goal as us. And as he said, the more numbers, the better we have a chance of winning."

"Mmhm. I think so too." Haru replies. 

_"Are you sure?"_ The feline questioned.

"Dr. Maruki's strong enough to change reality itself. If we're gonna fight him, we need Akechi's help" Futaba says.

"Plus, if he does betray us again, _we'll just take him out too._ " Haru calmy states, getting a surprised look from Yu.

_**(Yu in the corner: "Holy shit Haru. Woah, okay, wow. Haru's umm... out for blood.")** _

"I guess that settles that," Ryuji added.

"Let's all meet at Shuji tomorrow. I'll take care of figuring out how to get Yusuke, Futaba, and Yu in the school." Matoko claimed.

 _"Thank God."_ Yu let out a breath of air.

"All right, let's head home for now," Ann said. "Ren, I assume you'll put Yu in the group."

Ren nodded back, and everyone went their own ways.

* * *

* * *

**Music: Alone (P4)/Beneath the Mask (P5)/Ferrofluid - Theme of Reality (DM DOKURO)/Silence before the Storms (DM DOKURO, Terraria Calamity mod)**

* * *

_Ann: So, do you think Laveza will make it to the school?_

_Ann: I hope she doesn't get lost or anything..._

_Ryuji: Yeah, don'tcha think it's a bad idea, her wandering' around in that getup?_

_Yu: What getup?_

_Yu: Also, hello chat._

_Ann: Lavezacoplay.png._

_Ann: It's like that._

_Ann: I wanted to dress up in it, so I made my own copy._

_Matoko: Still... Hopefully, no one gives her a hard time._

_Ren: I mean... Caroline and Justine did it._

_Ren: I think it'll be fine._

_Ann: If someone does, you better come up with a good excuse for her, Ren!_

_Ren: Why me?_

_Ren: Fine, Morgana's helping too._

_Yu: Poor cat._

_Yu: Don't work him too hard._

_Matoko: That's not... exactly helpful to us..._

_Yusuke: At any rate, I'm certain she would reach out to us if something goes awry._

_Haru: That's true. We can trust her._

_Matoko: Agreed. Let us know if anything changes, Ren._

_Matoko: Good night everyone._

Yu smiled as he put down the phone. The Phantom Thieves had great trust in their leader, and they chose to invite him as well. But Yu felt that he didn't really belong there. He just... came out of nowhere because he could see through the lies. He just felt like a Deus ex machina that was there.

Do you know what always cheered him up, other than cats? Talking.

_Yu: Well..._

_Yu: I'm now an official member of the Phantom Thieves._

_Yu: I am now the unofficial Big Bro of all Phantom Thieves_

_Yosuke: Yu, What the **firck** are you doing?_

_Yu: Stealing the truth back._

_Yosuke:..._

_Yosuke: You know what, I won't ask._

_Yosuke: But I will tell you something._

_Yosuke: Tokyo is in a downpour._

_Yosuke: It's been raining for days from the outside._

_Yu: No it's not..._

_Yu: Oh for god's sake._

_Yu: That's what it looks like from the outside?_

_Yosuke: By the way,_

_Yosuke: If your part of the Phantom Thieves now,_

_Yosuke: Which, I really don't mind._

_Yosuke: I think they're cool._

_Yosuke: Shouldn't you tell Mitsuru-san about that?_

_Yosuke: And the fact you found them_

_Yu: I'm waiting until all this is over._

_Yu: Plus, I'm not sure how she will respond,_

_Yu: And I haven't told the group about it, either._

_Yosuke: Fair point._

_Yosuke: Soo..._

_Yosuke: How do the Phantom thieves do it?_

_Yu: I'm not too sure,_

_Yu: But basically,_

_Yu: They go into these places they call Palaces, strong negative or corrupt thoughts that warp people made manifest,_

_Yu: And steal the core of that world._

_Yu: I'm sure there's more, but I'm still new._

_Yosuke: Coooool._

_Yu: You really like the thieves, huh?_

_Yosuke: I mean... there cool._

_Yosuke: I know there might be some effy things about them,_

_Yosuke: But they stand to help others to fight back,_

_Yosuke: And I have great respect for them because of that._

_Yu: Hm._

_Yu: Well, I gotta go feed the cats._

_Yosuke: You and your cats..._

* * *

**_1/11_ **

**_AN: Oh, by the way, Morgana's Persona is now Diego. That's a thing that happens on 1/10._ **

**_Music: Break it down (P5)_ **

* * *

**The Nurse's office...** _It seems Yosuke was haunting him._

Matoko sneaked Yu in by having him say that he was just "looking" for a job here. Not that he was going to, anyway.

The Nurse's office was when they were meeting. _**Whyyyyy...**_

" **Infiltration: Succes!"** Futuba announced as they got there. Yu sat down next to Mona-Kun.

"I'm rather _surprised_ no one took notice of us," Yusuke stated. He and Futuba seemed to be in sports gear.

"Considering how I don't have an adequate excuse for the school to approve you two being in here, We're lucky it went as well as it did," Makoto explained.

A door opens, and Akechi-san's voice comes through, saying "As long as you maintain an air of confidence, you can fool just about anybody into thinking you belong. **I must say though,** I hadn't expected you to actually reach out to me for something like this."

"Well, it's just as we said before," Haru speaks up. "We've accepted your offer to work together."

"Now's not the time to let personal stuff get in the way of our goal. _**BUT**_ if you ever betray us again, we'll make sure you regret it." Futaba quickly added the last part in.

"All right then." Akechi-san blankly stated. "That's no concern of mine, anyway. Remember what I told you all before? We share a mutual goal. Until Maruki is defeated, we have a deal."

Suddenly, in a flash of bright purple light, a young girl with long platinum hair and golden eyes, wearing a blue dress, and matchings headband with white butterfly ornaments and yellow roses. She also has noticeably pink lips. Yu's suspicions of her being Ren's Velvet assistant named Lavenza are confirmed, as, Like Margaret, Lavenza carries a book entitled "Le Grimoire," _... though it seems abnormally large for her._

"It appears that everyone's arrived." She says, although somewhat drowsy. "Does that mean... you're ready to begin?"

"Um...yeah," Ren says. "Are you doing okay? You're looking a little sleepy, my dear."

"I am fine, thank you for your concern," Lavenza replies.

"Well, care to fill us in of what you know?" Ren askes.

"Yes, I wished to speak with you about the circumstances that led this Maruki to alter the reality you knew, as well as the true nature of his power." Lavenza seems to nock of the drowsy tone. 

" **You know all of that?"** Mona-kun questions.

"You know what? If anybody were to know, it would be her and Igor." Ren responds to the feline. Ah yes... the man with the _**impossible**_ nose. "I'm not surprised."

"I admit, there will be a degree of speculation involved, but only to a small extent." Lavenza states. "First, I will explain the situation with the current reality. I believe that Maruki has altered the cognition of the masses. In other words, it's thought that the alterations he's made are the result of his meddling with Mementos."

" _ **He changed Mementos? How is that even possible?"**_ Makoto exclaims a question.

"Well, considering that Mementos, from what I've been told, is the collective unconscious, then that means he changed very thought of people itself. But the question remains: How was he able to do that?" Yu proposed the question to the whole group. He had his own theories, but he'll save those for another day.

"But how'd it come back?" Ren replied.

"And don't forget about our experiences with the Meta-Nav and Maruki's Palace," Mona-kun adds. "It _seems_ like this kind of thing has a habit of sticking around despite our expectations." _If only Mona-kun knew..._

"As the Seeker said, Mementos is the cognition of the masses given from," Lavenza said. Wait, was she referring to him as Seeker? Umm...why? "If that man is truly capable of controlling individuals' cognitions, and that man was also to gain access to Mementos... it would be no surprise that he could impact everyone's cognitions and affect reality itself."

"Ah..." Ann protests, " _ **Could**_ he really have done that? I mean, it's assumed that Dr.Maruki has the power to control cognition, right"

"Exactly." Lavenza turns to face Ann. "That man's controlling of cognition-lets refer to it as "Actualization"- is most likely a power unique to a Persona."

 ** _OH OKAY_**. 

_Just toss everything out the window, huh?_ _**IT'S A FREACKING PERSONA?!**_

"In other words, this man named Maruki is-" Lavenza spoke...

 **"He's a persona-user?!"** ...only to be interrupted by Ryuji.

"That's **impossible**.." Mona-kun says in shock. _"There's no way to have a Persona and a Palace at the same time!"_

"Determining when Maruki first awakened to his power is impossible. However, by the time he crossed most of your paths, There is no doubt he was making sue of his actualization-although, he may only be doing it subconsciously." Lavenza simply ignored Mona-Kun's shock and continued speaking.

"Even if it is subconsciously, he's using a Persona in the real world..." Mona-kun states. But, according to Mitsuru-san, Persona's are still able to be summoned in the regular world but require the use of an Evoker in their case, or can be summoned without one during a crisis or with extreme concentration. Witch Yu can attest to the concentration part. If he was to focus enough, he could whip up his tarot card from thin air. But still...

"So, his ability to make Yoshizawa-san think she was Kasumi-chan..." Haru trailed off.

"It was most likely through his power of actualization," Lavenza confirmed.

"Still though..." Akechi finally spoke up. "Even if we assume that Maruki has unique Persona abilities, such as the case with Amamiya-San and myself, we still need to determine how he used that power on Memenots as a whole, rather than a single target."

"Right." Mona-kun repones. "Even if there were some kind of power that could affect Mementos... _ **It's on a whole other playing field than from what we've seen so far. A single person shouldn't be capable of that."**_

"That's true. Changing reality just by thinking about it isn't something humans do, it's something that, like, _**gods**_ do." Ann says, and _Yu makes a mental plee to hope this isn't going where he thinks it is._

"And what if he became such a god?" Lavenza asks.

 _ **"Oh for Izanagi's sake!"**_ Yu exclaims. _**GODDAMIT**_ , we were gonna go here... **(2)**

 _ **"The God of Control!"**_ Makoto gasps.

"Indeed-the being in Mememots that you defeated was a fake deity that the masses deludedly clung to. It is easy to conclude that Maruki simply took over the false god's position when it disappeared."

"But can you _**really**_ do that? Like, who decides that? And... if that is the case, then just how much is Maruki _**himself**_ in control?" Yu painfully says the last part.

"Plus, the phantom thieves are the ones who gained the masses' support after defeating this _so-called_ God." Akechi picks up "So it would follow that the masses would turn to the Phantom Thieves next as their savior. In that case, why did they instead go to Maruki, _**who did absolutely nothing?"**_

Atfer a bit of silence, Lavenza spoke up.

"It's most likely because..."

" **We chose Maruki,"** Ren announced. _"Well...most of us."_

A sharp noise came from Mona-kun, as Makoto spoke, "After we defeated the God of Control, we wished for reality to be like Dr.Maruki described it... _ **and it happened?!"**_

"Uh, _I don't remember doin' any wishin' with you guys and Doc!_ I mean, when would we have even had the chance to?" Ryuji bluntly said.

" _What do you do on New Year's eve?_ " Yu quickly and flatly replied. **(3)**

" **And our Counseling!"** Ann also sharply replied.

" **Looks like you all walked right into the spider's parlor.** " Akechi calmly said.

"So... is that _perhaps why_ I wasn't affected?" Yu asked. It **had** to be more than just Izanagi-no-Okami at this point. "Because I never said my wish? Even then... It would go against what Maruki wants."

"Yeah, we still haven't figured that out, have we?" Ren looks at him.

"It's not too important right now." Yu shrugs "We can talk about it later."

"But still, there's no way of knowing how many of those situations were intentionally orchestrated by that man. However, the result is still the same- a desire for his actualization was seeded within your hearts. Thus, I do not doubt that it was your own desires that led to their actualization " Lavenza spoke."

"If any of those counseling seasons and the like were planed for this stuff-like, he knows most of your names, so I can only assume he knows you're the Phantom thieves- were calculated from once he got his Persona..." Yu shakes his head to end the sentence. " _ **And I'm assumed to like what this guy is doing? No thank you, I don't need a false god telling me what to do."**_

"So... this is our fault..." Ryuji solely said.

"We're the ones who told him the cognitive world really exists, too..." Futaba also remarks.

"I was about to say, _ **it's not your fault** _that you trusted someone whose goal is _**supposed**_ to be to help you, but to find out he was doing this the whole time..." Yu could feel his hand clench "I just... that's a disgrace to our careers. That's why... _**I just can't forgive him** _for doing this. Sorry for ranting...but..."

"No, it's fine, Yu," Ren says. _**"Let's put an end to this, everyone."**_

"Yes. This realization changes none of what we must do." Yusuke states.

"Very well. Let me proceed." Lavenza nodes. " This world is in a very unstable condition currently. On the day that the God of Control fused Mementos with the real world, the merging was undone through your efforts, and the two worlds are now attempting to return to their initial states."

"So what you're saying is, this world is in a state where the fusion isn't totally undone." Akechi reasoned. "That Explains why Maruki's Palace was visible in Odaiba."

"Even as we speak, Maruki is still influencing this world in places where its boundaries are blurred..." Lavenza says. "As slow a pace it may be, he continues to actualize the world of the masses as a whole. Should this continue, reality shall merge with Memenots once more. The two worlds will combine again, and when that happens, anyone trapped within the actualized world can never again awaken to the original one."

 **"Oh shit."** Yu blurted out.

"This issue goes beyond the masses as well. Although you are all Persona-users, it would be next to impossible to defy Maruki in a world completely ruled by him." Lavenza states at the group. "To be clear-once the two worlds conclude their fusion, there will be no chance of your success in this mission. I believe the fusion will end in a mouth's time.

 _ **"We only have a month?!"**_ Yusuke exclaimed.

"February 3rd was the date Dr.Maruki gave us, right?" Haru asked. "Could he have possibly chosen the time limit based on when his actualization will be completed?"

" ** _I bet he did!"_** Yu said.

"If that's the case, we don't _ **got another choice**_ but to grab our realities back before then," Ryuji replied.

"We'll need to secure our route to the Treasure by the 2nd so we can send our calling card," Mona-kun explained. "Then, we're likely going to fight Maruki."

"Allow me to produce the calling card." Yusuke states. "This is certain to be our last card. _**I will make sure it is worthy of that status!"**_

"There are some unsolved questions." Akechi simply announced as he pulled out his phone.

"Oh, you mean the fact that the name was hidden? On the Nav?" Ren questioned. "It doesn't affect our ability to get in, but..."

"It must be a product of Maruki's cognition." Lavenza clearly answered. "He must have learned that you could get into the Metaverse, and as long as he permits your existence, your method of infiltration will not entirely disappear. He must have feared that you would learn his identity as the Palace's ruler, so his name disappeared."

"But in that case, why didn't Dr.Maruki just... **yeet** us out of existence?" Futaba said.

" _I... don't know what Yeet means..._ but I actually talked with Akechi about it once," Yu replied. "Maybe he doesn't have it in."

"Oh well." Ryuji causally replied. "Let's start the infiltration tomorrow, _**yeah**_?"

The group nodded and Ryuji turned to Akechi. "And You? Sound good?"

"Your willing to ask me as well?" He simply asked.

" _ **Dude!** _The Phantom thieves don't act until it's a unanimous vote!" Ryuji bitterly exclaimed.

Akechi sighed. " _ **Fine then. You know I have no intention of accepting the deal, anyway."**_

" **Cool** ," Yu said and then frowned. "But I am **really** worried about Yoshizawa-san."

"We may not have summoned her as one of the Phantom Thieves, but this _**definitely**_ involves her as well," Makoto added.

"Maybe we should fill her in on our situation once she comes to terms with her own." Haru paused. "What she does with that information...that's up to her."

"I guess... _we'll have to wait, huh._ " Yu looked down. " _ **I'm just... worried sick."**_

" _ **We are all.**_ " Ren looked at Yu.

"If that concludes matters, I shall continue to watch over you, Trickster. Please, show me the path that you choose for humanity" Lavenza looked at Ren, and then she just disappeared.

"You guys are talking about this Treasure stuff and I have no clue what you mean. " Yu looked at the group

"Ah yeah... sorry that your first heist and only heist is someone with the power of a **god** ," Ryuji replied.

"Well, tomorrow we start," Makoto added. "Make sure you'll all prepared."

The group started to leave, but Yu pulled Ren away.

* * *

_**Music: Like a Dream Come True (P4)/What's Going On? (P5)** _

* * *

"Oh hey, Yu."

"Hey, Ren. Can we have a chit-chat? It shouldn't take too long, you can probably get home afterward."

"Of course."

* * *

_**Outside the school.** _

* * *

The two boys sat down upon a bench.

"So, Yu... what is it?" Ren asked.

"Well... it's just... you guys welcomed me with open arms... and it doesn't _feel right._ " Yu shook his head.

" _Yu... don't say that._ Your fighting back. **That's more than enough** to be apart of our group." Ren looked him in the eyes.

"But the thing is... you guys have a **relationship** and **secrets** , and I just show **up out of nowhere... _heck..._** _I'm not even trustworthy_."

" **Listen**. If we didn't think we could trust you, we wouldn't have let you in. Ann knows you for knowing Shiho-san. And it's because of Shiho-san we took the risk with Kamo-shit-a."

Yu chuckles. "Did you just... _hehe_."

"And don't think we don't care about what you were trying to do even when you didn't know us. Take, for example, the Phansite."

" _Wait, you know about that?_ " Yu looked taken back.

"Futuba has great hacking skills and was able to find all your posts on there. Not only were you the one who requested Kazuo Tsuboi to get his heart changed-"

" _ **Oh, was that that cat abuser?**_ " Yu's mood quickly turned around, "Sorry I couldn't get his name... I just heard rumors and then confirmed that was what was happing, but was unable to find his name..."

"We found him. Don't worry." Ren shook his head "But, as I was saying, **every single** one of your replies was positive. You helped others on there. Yu... it's fine for you to be with us."

"I guess... maybe it's just me _overreacting_." Yu looked down again.

"Why are you saying that?" Ren started right at him.

"I... happen to have **Monophobia**." Yu turned his head away from Ren.

"I've heard of phobias, but that one's new. What is it?"

"Monophobia, or sometimes called Autophobia, is a catch-all term for several discrete fears, all about the fear of being alone. For me... _that's...being unloved...being unwanted..."_ Yu just trailed off. Ren wasn't gonna push him. Being able to even bring it up must be hard.

"So... is that why you have so many cats? A way to cope?"

"Yeah... also cats are cats and love them." Yu smiled back and got up "But thanks anyway, Ren. I have to get going now... _feels nice to tell you that."_

"How many people know?" Ren asked

"Most of my close friends," Yu responded.

"That's good." Ren smiled back...

* * *

_**Music: The Spirit** _

* * *

_**Rank up!** _

_**The Anon: Rank 3:** _

_**Yu revealed to you he's worried about being apart of the Phantom Thieves and said he's Monophobic. But there could be something else as well...** _

_**Mental Guard: Chance to nullify incoming mental status ailments on party.** _

_**Basically, Futuba's Final Guard but for Mental status ailments.** _

* * *

A loud crashing noise came into his ears.

"By the way..." Yu looked at him. "How many hours do I have on that website?"

"That's a bit... **random**." Ren deadpanned. "But about... 200 hours."

Yu laughed.

"Oh well, you have to get going." The two then waved goodbye and went their own ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Yes, this is a real thing. A white person is considered to be prematurely gray if their hair turns gray by age 20; gray before 30 is early for African-Americans. Scientists don’t know exactly why some people go gray early, but genes play a large role. Premature greying of hair can also be because of poor diet and deficiency. Deficiency of thyroid hormone, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin D, zinc, selenium, iron, copper can make your hair go grey.
> 
> (2) I have no idea why the concept of Yu saying Izanagi instead of god in for god's sake is funny to me, but here we are, you get to suffer this.
> 
> (3) Why does no one bring that up? Yu, go.
> 
> This toke so looooooooooooooooooooong. this was a lot to write, strikers came out (feel free to talk about it, I played the game a long time ago and understood), school is back physically, my mouse pad is breaking dowm\n... a lot of things happened.
> 
> And don't worry, we'll get into Yu's link/confident here soon. Otherwise known as Childhood neglect sucks. Trauma sucks. Being a wild card sucks sometimes.
> 
> This chapter shows I suck at dialog tags. Mad respect to all the people who know how to have good dialog tags.
> 
> I wanted to address a lot of things this chapter, from Morgana getting vibes off him, to Yu's will.
> 
> Other things:  
> Yu is 22, but he looks like he hasn't aged a day. He's grown just one inch.
> 
> Also... Izanagi and the symbolism of it... I'm not going to talk much about it because it would take... forever. But just know, this has been thought about a looot.
> 
> Ren did see Surime After meeting with Yu. Grammarly says that reality is a synonym of truth. It also thinks Ann is Anna, and Yu Is You. Yu also isn't very wordy unless he's pissed.


	11. Brewing Storms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:
> 
> Ren: Yu exists, let him in.  
> Yu: My Monophobia is saying this isn't real.
> 
> This Chapter: Brewing Storms
> 
> We make the first Palace Trip! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What new world is this
> 
> Where the dark meets the light?
> 
> That calls me to act 
> 
> or to spare or to fight?
> 
> It gives me this power
> 
> that shines burning bright,
> 
> but I'll get my freedom before morning light.
> 
> -Man on the Internet lyrics for Field of Hopes and Dreams.
> 
> Thanks for all the love! You guys are awesome! (even though I kept getting drepsed when I see no comments.)  
> I'm honestly not sure why anyone likes this work at all, but for as long as people do, I'll keep writing.

* * *

_**1/12.** _

_**Muisc: Sings of Love. (P4)** _

* * *

_Ryuji: We're headin' to the Palace today, yeah?_

_Yu: That's what we agreed on._

_Futaba: Yeah. Honestly, if we wanna accomplish anything, we gotta get out there._

_Yu: Excuse me for this... but._

_Yu: Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There!_

_Yu: Raise your voice against liars_

_Yu: Feed your anger like fire_

_Yu: Why does nobody want change?_

_Yu: Just imagine you're out there_

_Yu: Swatting lies in the making_

_Yu: Can't move fast without breaking_

_Yu: If you hold on, life won't change_

_Futaba: Yu comfirmed memer._

_Yu: Nah, it's more that I like jazz. **(1)**_

_Yusuke: ...Regardless, we're heading out to the Palace after school._

_Ryuji: Let's secure a route to the Treasure!_

_Akechi: In that case, let's meet at the hideout after school._

* * *

**_Leblanc Cafe_ **

**_Music: Wicked Plan (P5)/ Deduction (P4)_ **

* * *

"Our group has grown quite big." Yusuke voices.

"More firepower is a good thing." Akechi barks back.

"Let's begin our discussion," Ren says. "February 3rd is the date we agreed on, so we'll need to find a route by the 2nd. If we can't do that, it's **_game over_**." **(2)**

"We need to be deliberate, though. _We have no idea what will happen_." Akechi added

"Right. Maruki is basically a _ **god.**_ " Mona-kun replies. "I doubt anything will go smoothly. Don't let your guard down."

**_Alright, let's go..._ **

* * *

_**Music: Gentle Madman (P5R)** _

* * *

Entering back into the palace felt almost the same as falling through the TV World to Yu... but that made sense. This place was a place made of thought and lurked with Shadows everywhere.

But he wasn't expecting to see Yoshizawa-san standing in front of the elevator.

_"Oh, it's..."_ Mona-kun was also shocked.

She turns around and smiles. "Hello, everyone."

"umm... is something wrong, Sumire-san?" Ren also seems taken aback by her being her.

"You're going to fight Dr. Maruki, yes?" Yoshizawa-san moves her hand out. "Please! Take me with you!"

Mona-kun simply shakes his head. "Uh, but you can't go in dressed like that."

" _Please?_ I'm done running away." Yoshizawa-san grabs something from her pocket and puts it on, and in a flash, her other attire appears.

"I can't keep relying on people, Like Amamiya-senpai... _ **I want to live life as Sumire!**_ " Yoshizawa-san yelled out. Yu simply just nodded approvingly at her.

"Heh, color me impressed." Mona-kun couldn't have said it better.

"Looks like she'll do just fine here," Ryuji said.

"Thank You!" Yoshizawa-san cheered.

"I'm glad you found your resolve," Yu responded.

_**"Oh, Narukami-san, you...!**_ " Yoshizawa-san looked directly at him. _Oh.._ that's right.

"Yeah... I guess you were out cold when that happened, huh?" Yu scratched the back of his head. " _Honestly_ , I don't pay much attention to his outfit."

"Well, you both gonna need codenames." Mona-kun slimed. 

" _ **A what?**_ " Yoshizawa-san looked confused.

"It would be weird if you two were using your real names." Ryuji simply gleefully said.

"For Yoshizawa-san, do you have any suggestions, Joker?" Mona-kun looked.

Ren looked down in thought. "I'd say Appetite, but that's a _bit... well you know._ "

" **Even** I get full, senpai." Yoshizawa-san frowned.

"Well, how about _**"Violet"?**_ Its Sumire in English!" Ann pushed.

"Well, depending on the Kanji. It could also be Baioretto or Murasakiiro, although the last one usually means purple." Yu added. (3)

"Violet..." Yoshizawa-san repeated to herself. "Yes, let's go with that!"

" **Excellent**!" Futaba applauded. "Now remember, **Violet**! Not _Violent_ , **Violet**!"

"Yes, that you for clarifying!" Yoshizawa-san smiled.

"And now, it's Yu's turn." Mona-kun turned to look at him.

"He's got Joker's vibe, but at the same time, quite different," Ann said. "What about Seer?"

"Given his awakening, it makes sense," Ren added.

"Oh yeah, what happened with him?" Ryuji asked.

 _ **"Pain."**_ Yu deadpanned

"Well, _aside_ from that." Ryuji quickly countered. " _Like_ , what did he say?"

"All I think I said was something against Maruki." Yu shook his head.

"Umm... you were also _**screaming**_ , might I add," Ren said.

"I was... _**Screaming**_?" Yu looked confused. "Is that why my lungs also felt so weak afterward?"

"When you were on the floor, yes. It was hideous." Ren replied. "Basically, you lashed out at Maruki, then he grabbed your head and then started screaming, dropped your claymore, fell to the floor, looked at yourself, stoped screaming and said "I won't!", pointed at Maruki, and then said the contract words, and said a few things, then charged at Maruki."

" _Aaaw man_ , I wish that we could have seen it," Ryuji complained.

"But back to his name... Do you like Seer?" Ann asked.

Yu shook his head.

"Then, What about Obsidian?" Matoko proposed. "It's a natural volcanic glass, formed when lava solidifies so quickly that mineral crystals do not have time to grow. In Legend and Folklore, the Aztecs believed it formed a shield against negativity, providing a grounding cord from the base chakra to the center of the earth. They also believed it absorbs negative energy from the environment, blocks psychic attacks and negative spiritual influences, brings clarity to the mind, clears confusion, and provides deep soul healing. Obsidian was believed to go back to past lives to heal festering emotions or trauma carried forward into the present."

" ** _...Yep._ **I don't think you can get better than that." Yu's shocked silence was enough to confirm he liked it.

"It fits nicely and suits the tone of his outfit perfectly," Yusuke added.

"Alright then. From now on, I'm Obsidian here. **(3)** " Yu nodded. " _At least..._ I think that's how it works."

Akechi facepalmed and muttered something. "Are we done? We should probably get moving."

"Well, those two need to know our codenames." Ren sharply replied. "Take note. I'm Joker, Morgana is Mona, Ryuji is Skull, Ann is Panther, Yusuke is Fox, Makoto is Queen, Futaba is Oracle, Haru is Noir, and We'll keep Akechi-san as Crow."

"This... may be more difficult than I thought," Yu said to himself. They were, _**quite literally,**_ playing persona's, and he just got welcomed to the Masquerade. This was going to be a trip, wasn't it?

"We'll get going... but Velvet room first," ~~Ren-~~ Joker said as he seemed to go to the Velvet room. Guess it just looked like he was staring into space. And then he turned around. "All right, let's get going."

 _ **Okay**_ , nice to know that's what that looks like.

"Okay... Mona, Violet, Obsidian, let's lead the charge. Everyone else, trail behind." Joker Said.

_**(Yu in the corner: God this feels weird.)** _

* * *

The group of 4 went up the elevator.

" _ **Everyone!"**_ The Navi announced through a telepathic broadcast. "There's a locked security door nearby! That's likely the best place to investigate! _**Expect**_ they are some weird shadow readings. _**Be careful!"**_

The group, _being the group,_ went into a door.

"Are you too holding up okay?" ~~Haru~~ Noir asks ~~Yu~~ Obsidian and Violet.

"This ain't my first rodeo." Obsidian replies.

"Yes!" Violet just replies. "Sorry, it's just... I feel just a little off."

And then suddenly her gear disappears in a flash.

"My outfit!" She gasps.

"Umm...oh no." Joker states. "Violet, that's not good."

And then her outfit reappears. "I let my guard down for a second, but I _**swear**_ I'm fine! So sorry for making you all worry."

"That's fine and all, _**but don't** _hold us back, either. " ~~Akechi-~~ Crow, growls. "If you push yourself too hard, you'll endanger us, too."

 _ **"ENEMIES APPROACHING!"**_ ~~Futaba-~~ Oracle makes some noise from a video game. " _ **They're fast.**_.. I dunno what they are, but we'd better move it!"

"Should we get back into it?" Mona-kun asks. "If things start looking bad, we'll retreat right away! Until then, we'll back you up with everything we've got!"

* * *

**Music: Stop.**

* * *

The group then heads forward. The corridor they were in this time had the same white theme the rest of the Palace did. However, as they walked up some stairs, Oracle yelled out _**"ABOVE US!"**_ and the lanky shadows with their almost appendage arms fell from the floor. The group quickly moved, however, ~~Yoshizawa-san~~ -Violet was surrounded.

* * *

The group turned around. **_Violet was in trouble._ _Joker_** , being Joker, shouted out "Violet!"

Violet then tried to summon Cendrillon _**but to no avail.**_

 _ **"Her's Personas...!"** _Mona yelled.

 **"Not on my watch!"** Skull charged ahead, Queen following close behind. However, Violet spoke and the two stopped. _**"Please, stay back!"**_

"I appreciate it, but allow me." She calmly stated. "I chose to stand on my own and fight. _**It's time I stop being helpless!"**_

* * *

_**Music: Regret (P5)** _

* * *

She clutched her hand. " _I hung my head low and took your hand...but I knew all along deep down... pretending to be Kasumi was not the right way..._ "

She makes some pain grunts as she seems to pull at her mask. Joker then thought to himself: **"Wait, is this what I think it is?"**

" _The weak, Insecure Sumire..._ **dies today!"** She says as the mask comes off with blood.

"Violet..." Noir quietly says.

" _You were the one... **the only one who stayed true to yourself!**_ " Violet raises her hand to the sky, as blood drips down. " **Come, Cendrillon!** If you don't answer my call now... _ **how else can we make our dream come true!?"**_

* * *

_**Music: Stop** _

* * *

_**"Such tenacity... It seems to fit you better than ever before. The glass slippers are the icon of glory."** _

Suddenly, out of nowhere, blue fire covers Violet. She seems to raise her hand, _like holding someone else's._

_**"Not just for you, but the other girl within you as well."** _

* * *

_**Music: Will Power (P5)** _

* * *

Then, the fire reforms into the familiar shape of Cendrillon, with Violet looking directly at her.

_**"I am thou, Thou art I. Are you prepared for your debut? The ball awaits."** _

Violet wipes around as the shadows began to turn into skull's with a Snake crawling around in them

_**"Currently!"** _

The rest of the fighting group members rush in to back up.

"That's it... _ **I'm done running from myself!"**_ Violet yells out loud.

 **"Yeah, you tell 'em!"** Skull cheers from the sidelines. Obsidian seems to nod approvingly.

"Go, Violet! **Give 'em hell!"** Oracle cheers as well.

"Murder them all with light, please!" Joker commands to Violet.

" **Yes!** Let's do this, **Cendrillon**!" Violet yells out as Cendrillon uses a Makougaun, completely destroying the opposing shadows.

" **I**... _okay then._ " Joker stutters for words. "I didn't mean **quite literally**. I thought we get the all-out attack going **but sure! Why not!** **Just absolutely destroy them in one fellow swoop!** _I mean, **it's badass** ,_ don't get me wrong!"

**Haru and Akechi gained a level!**

* * *

_**Music: Gentle Madman (P5R)** _

* * *

"Sorry for troubling you. I'll be fine now." Violet says as she plays with her long ponytail.

"You were as impressive as always out there." Mona praises her. " _ **Well done**_ , Violet!"

She turns around to face the group. "Thank you."

"I still have a lot to learn, though," Violet speaks. "I promise I'll do my best not to slow you down!"

"Same here," Obsidian adds.

"C'mon you too, you don't have to be so formal with us." Panther gleefully says.

"Sorry." Violet grunts. "And the same goes for you too, Joker-senpai...I hope you'll still be there for me."

Joker-senpai... he says in his mind. He doesn't totally know how to take that but sure. There's a renewed resolve from Sumire.

And then, that crashing noise he heard way too often came into his mind, but this time...

* * *

_**Music: The Spirit (P5 Ver)** _

* * *

**I am thou, thou art _I..._**

**My vow stands renewed in pursuit of the _truth._**

**In breaking _free_ of doubt, the chain that impedes**

**thee, is thy strength of _heart_ made manifest.**

**With the _rebirth_ of the Faith Persona,**

**Thou hast obtained the winds of _blessing_ that**

**shall guide thee to the furthest _depths._**

_Another new version? Things were changing, it seems..._

* * *

_**Music: Gentle Madman (P5R)**_

* * *

Is that what it looked like? Yu wondered. Bleeding? _**A lot of bleeding?**_ He knew that was what happened, he felt it, but did he do that amount of grunting? Suddenly, accepting your Shadow seemed more fun than... _that._ And yet it still happened to him.

 ** _"All right!_** " Skull yelling brought him out of his thoughts " **Let's kick some ass!"**

"Yes! Let's press onwards!" Violet says. The group gets back into a fighting position.

"So, the shadows were behaving unusually thanks to that ambush." Oracle reasons. "Well, we may have been run through the wringer, _**but we're on a mission!** _Time to check out the door."

Joker did just that but ended up banging on the door instant.

"Figures it won't open normally," Oracle complains. "Check that authentication device on the side there."

It looked like what you think it would look like: A card reader.

"I took a look around, but it seems to be built so it couldn't be accessed anywhere else." Oracle grunts. "We need an ID for this door."

"That lock **means** there's gotta be somethin' important in there, though!" Skull says to look on the positive. **"Let's go get an ID!"**

 _"Oh?"_ Oracle randomly says.

"What happened?" Obsidian asks.

"I intercepted some communication between Shadows..." She makes a gleeful hum. "Our ID hunt's come to an end already. That Shadow over there has one."

She points somewhere.

 _"I'm.... not sure_ whether to be **scared** or _impressed_ with your abilities." Obsidian deadpans.

" _ **Hehehe!"**_ She chuckles. "He has no idea. We need to ambush him for the ID. We can't reach him from here, so we'll have to go around and through the auditorium."

"Alright then!" Joker says.

 _ **Welcome back to the auditorium.**_ A gray place with screens. Also, Joker wanted to check out all the corners for some reason... _whatever floats your boat, I guess._ As they headed away and into another corridor connected to the auditorium, the hall became darker in color, from gray to black.

They ran into a shadow, but Joker simply sneaked behind it and seemed to just destroy it in one blow. 

Another Shadow had the unfortunate fate of having their back to them.

* * *

_**Music: Last Supirse (P5, or this[wonderful cover if you want to give Yu his guitar back.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgJHMW__sAU)) /Remember, We Got Your Back (PQ2)** _

* * *

One Shadow was a being who... _well..._ would best be described as a Dancer of Death. The other was a ghostly figure hoving over a pile of ore.

" _ **Oh! A rare one!**_ " The Navi cooed. So... a rare one? Okay then... be careful. 

_**"Kaguya!"**_ Joker yelled out. Apparently, he switched, because Obsidian felt his feet speed up. "Makougaon!"

The first Shadow disappeared when the light hit it. The other fell to the floor.

The group surrounded it, guns out. Obsidian wasn't _exactly_ sure what was going on, but he pulled out his own Sniper rifle anyways.

"To think you would coerce me into giving up..." The Shadow spoke. "How Brilliant."

The Shadow seemed to stand up. _(As far as Shadows can stand up.)_ "My Name is Orichalcum... My existence shall become a new part of you..."  
And with that, the shadow turned into Joker's mask, and he absorbed it.

**_...huh._ **

That was how he got his Persona's. That must be a little annoying, actually. 

* * *

_**Music: Gentle Madman (P5R)** _

* * *

"I thought Orichalcum was [pink](https://terraria.gamepedia.com/Orichalcum_Ore)..." The Navi seemed to mumble.

 _ **"Not Bad!"**_ Mona-kun says.

At this point in their dungeon crawling, they were at the rafters, seemingly above the auditorium. And they didn't get a break, as another Shadow ran into them, getting the jump on them. **They were now the ones circled.**

The Shadows that had them cornered were 3 of the same brown bullet-shaped monsters that were circling a mirror. They had these long proboscis from their mouth. **(5)**

"They sneaked upon us!" Oracle yells. " _ **Ugh!**_ They're going to get it!"

* * *

_**Music: Take Over (P5R)/Reach Out To The Truth[(in Mayonaka Arena/P4 Arena)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBa1rjbkDHw)** _

* * *

The first one used Stagnant Air, getting a yelp from the whole team. The second one used... Tentarafoo?! _**OH SHIT!**_ He needed to do something!

 _ **"Stay focused!"**_ Obsidian yelled out. "They're trying to confuse you! Don't let them!"

The last one used a muti hitting... Psy attack, as it was called.

  
"That was going to do a lot of damage..." Joker mumbled. _**"Kaguya!"**_

In a flash, Arrows rained down, hitting multiple times, as the Shadows disappeared in smoke.

_**(Ren in the corner: Thank you, Yu and your bond.)** _

"That was too close for comfort," Joker said.

* * *

_**Music: Gentle Madman (P5R)** _

_**AN: Gentle Madman Counter: 8.**_

* * *

They continued forward, as Joker used a grappling hook to reach a higher platform. _Dude...was that really needed?_ **Then again**... it's not like this place was **squared,** or _easy to run around in_. Maybe it was needed. Whatever the case, the place he went to had a treasure chest. He opened it. _**I mean,**_ why wouldn't you?

"Gun for Violet, Sword for Obsidian." He said as he tossed them down from the platform. Obsidian had to wonder why there were swords and guns that they could take out of the place in a mental world, but you know what... There were so many things that didn't make sense in this world.

This new sword was a steel sword with the kanji ことだま ([kotodama](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotodama)) inscribed on the handle. It actually was a nice sword and felt pretty real, too.

After that, they hopped down some more platforms and arrived at another door. They entered a corridor, which was in a bright white, compared to the black the last room had. The Shadow that had the ID was standing at the end of the hall.

 _ **"Wait, hold on Joker!"**_ Oracle yells as Joker seems to make it halfway past the hall. "It's communicating with another Shadow. Let me intercept some info."

 **"Wha-!"** She yells. "That Shadows about to head out! **Ambush him! Quick! _GO GO GO!"_**

The shadow disappears in a flash of light purple and teleports to the other shadow. Joker uses his grappling hook to swing on one of the lights and get down.

" **Haha** , _hello there sir,_ " Joker announced. " **You made a grave error.** " 

" **What the-** _Phantom Thieves!"_ The guard yells out. "I must've been followed!"

" _ **Dammit**_! I told you!" The other Shadow just seems pissed. "Now we have to eliminate them! For our Maste ** _rrrrrrrrr!"_**

They screech out as one turns into a multi-colored guy and the other turns into what was definitely a Chimera.

* * *

_**Music: Keeper of Lust (P5)** _

* * *

**"Witness my resolve!"** Mona-kun starts with a Magarudyne, knocking down the Chimera, and dealing good damage to the multi-colored one. 

"Your turn!" He jumps up high fives Obsidian, letting him act instead.

 _They... do that?_ Oh well, it was his turn.

"Sorry, I don't hold back." He says as he casts Wild Thunder. The Chimera goes down, however, the other Shadow reflects it. _**It's a shame**_ that Obsidian just so happens to absorb that, completely healing from the last attacks he had to deal with.

"Allow me," Violet says as she casts that dancing sword attack, hit the shadow and causing it to disappear.

* * *

**Yu Leveled up!**

**Yu learned Brain Buster!**

**Yu replaced Brain Jack.**

* * *

_**Music: Gentle Madman (P5R)** _

* * *

The Shadow dropped the ID. And it just so happened that they were right in front of the door.

 **"We got the ID!"** ~~Ann-~~ Panther cheered.

"It sure feels like we're one step closer. The doors right there... _soo..._ " Oracle winked.

Joker boops a button, it makes some noises and opens the door.

"It opened! You did it, Oracle-senpai!" Violet Cheers.

"Oracle-senpai... _Mwehehehe,_ I like that the sound of that!" She giggles. "From here on out, we have no map to guide us. Keep guards up, everyone!"

They opened the door to reveal a dark room, with boxes on shelves.

"Is this a storage area?" Skull asked.

"It looks like that shady backroom you don't want people to see," ~~Yusuke-~~ Fox adds.

"Ugh, we go through the hassle gettin' this ID and _**THIS**_ is where we wind up?" Skull complains.

"Don't be too dishearted yet." ~~Makoto-~~ Queen replies.

"Considering the size of this room, I believe there are most likely multiple exits." ~~Akechi-~~ Crow, reasons. "If we make our way through here, we'll reasonably be much closer to the central area."

" **Sooo, basically, keep chargin` on!** " Skull exclaims.

"Yep." Joker nods "Keep doing the thing you always do, _my boy_."

Joker proceeds to jump hiding behind a box and goes forward by hiding behind more boxes. Then, they climbed on the boxes, Joker using his favorite hook, and gets up to another section. The rest just jumped up there. A powerful Shadow was up there, and they had to evade it _... because...well... strong shadows_. They also had another fight with some skulls, Ren getting a level up. 

A fun quote he said was: _**"Now Parish. Parish in the fires of hell."**_

After a lot of crawling... _**and I mean a lot**_ because this place was not easy to move around in, Skull said "Hey, Look!" And pointed to a bridge _(or something along those lines)_ with yellow lights.

"Looks like it goes over there!" He continued.

"Is that the exit?" Queen asked. "Let's wrap this up, Joker."

* * *

_**Music: Remember, We Got Your Back (PQ2)** _

* * *

However, as they got there, they had one more encounter with 5 of the bullet-shaped monsters shadows, narrowly avoiding get ambushed _**again**_.

" _ **End this,**_ Izanagi-no-Okami!" Obsidian chanted as he casts Wild Thunder. 2 of the 5 were destroyed, and the other ones were knocked down.

"All-out attack!" Joker shouted. _**FINALLY!**_

" **This is the End! You never stood a chance!"** Mona-kun yelled out.

Obsidian got the final blow, and given how **everyone** seemed to have a flair for the dramatic here, it wouldn't hurt to strike a pose right now, _would it?_

He tossed a card deck into the air _(because apparently,_ he had that.), the cards failing down. He grabbed an Ace of Hearts, and pointed it forward, flat side. 

"A Fool's Playing Deck." He said. **(6).** After all, the Ace was the start of a new suit.

* * *

_**Music: Have a Short Rest (P5)** _

* * *

They continued and found an elevator, hoped in it, and arrived in a gray corridor with blue cables and triangles, screens, and posters.

"The Effect of the cognitive world is weak here..." The Navi said. "There's a safe room close by."

They hoped into this _"Safe room"_ , and it was literally just a storage room again.

"Okay, party switch time," Joker announced. "Obsidian, your switching with Crow."

"Alright then," Crow says.

Joker then grabs some stuff out of a bag. It looked like pills.

"Recover time."

" _You..._ **_you use painkillers?"_** Obsidian asked.

"And food too," Joker responded. Obsidian backed up a little. _**Where did that kid get that stuff?**_

* * *

_**Music: Gentle Madman (P5R)** _

* * *

They headed out, and then in a bigger room, found what seemed to be a control room, with black boxes inscribed with green circles hanging from the ceiling nearby. The floor was reflective, and they moved down. There were 2 shadows down there.

"Security is even tighter here, _apparently,_ " Fox adds. "They appear quite formidable."

"That means this place must be important," Crow explains. "Let's take them out whenever we're ready."

They moved down and stood face to face with them.

"So, y **ou dare to defy His Excellency!** " They yelled.

"Outta the way." Joker calmly stated.

"Who are _**YOU**_ to give me Orders!?" They barked as they turned into Cu Chulainn and a Shadowed woman wearing a dark cloak.

* * *

_**Music: Keeper of Lust (P5)** _

* * *

"Ah dam..." Joker mumbles "I have my own Cu and it's weak to Elec."

Mona-kun used a special attack that did absolutely no damage at all. An Ice attack came from the Girl, resisted by Joker and dodged by Violet. She then used a light attack on the Woman, dealing some damage. Cu Chulainn seemed to buff himself.

" _Umm..._ _Crow, sorry about this,_ but Obsidian, please swap with Crow." Joker asked, and the two swap spots. Another tactic that was new to him, but _**hey**_ , that he wished he had.

It being his turn, he used Concentrate, getting ready to deal some massive pain. Mona-kun simply used a Diarahan to heal himself, seemly from the damage he took earlier.

The Cloaked Woman ruined Obsidian's plans by using an **Elec Wall on Cu**. _**Obsidian gave the biggest look of "For god's sake."**_

Violet used the Sword dance attack on the Cloaked Woman, and landed a Critical! She passed her turn over to Joker, who switched Surt to use a huge fire attack, getting a burn on Cu, and raising Obsidian's attack. Cu persisted by using a Gun skill on Joker... which was also Resisted. The Burn came into play, damaging Cu a bit. Joker then switched to Kohryu, raising Obsidian's speed in the process, to use A multi-hitting Psi attack.

_**Obsidian was just done with this.** _

"I'm gonna regret this... but here, **take the Truth!** " He yelled out as he used the powerhouse that is Myriad Truths. Given the Concentrate and attack boost... _it's safe to say... **that may have been a little overkill**_. The PT didn't think so, though.

* * *

_**Music: Tension (P5)/Zone Time (P4)** _

* * *

"I believe that takes care of that," Crow says.

"Someone give me a soda," Obsidian complains. Joker tosses a bottle. _"Oh...okay."_

"So, where are we now?" Skull asks.

"This Room seems very different to the rest of the Palace..." Haru-Noir adds. "It was heavily guarded as well."

"Could this be... some sort of surveillance room?" Queen wondered. "The Monitors are displaying various rooms within the Palace."

"I mean... that's what it looks like," Obsidian said as he chugged the Soda. _"You got any more sodas?"_

"Wait... **We were being watched the whole time?"** Ann exclaims.

"I dunno about that..." Oracle walked forward and began to...well... hack it. "Yep! I knew it. This room's more of a mainframe than a monitoring system. All sorts of pieces of information being collected here from across the Palace and getting converted into raw data. And there are some pretty nice files on here too... _hehehe_."

"Data collection?" Fox questioned. "But what for?"

"Y'know, this room ain't got any sorta way forward." Skull randomly said. "Think we gotta find another path somewhere else?"

Mona-kun turned to face somewhere, revealing a bunch of blue-hinted cables. "Actually, it looks like there's a path beyond those cables- _ **we're sure not using it as is, though."**_

Suddenly, one of the TV screens changed to show a dark space with an eerie red hint.

 _ **"Oh!"**_ Panther shouted, "What is it now?"

"Wait... **that looks like Mementos!"** Joker said.

"I've tracked the location all the data is being sent to!" Oracle said. "Looks like it's going into Mementos. We Might make some headway if we investigate here."

"That reminds me... Lavenza did tell us Dr. Maruki is utilizing Mementos to distort all of reality." Queen stated. "Even Still... **are those really data cables?** "

"I think we're done here for now," Joker said. "Let's check Mementos next."

"Agreed," Oracle added. "Sticking around here isn't going to help us."

And with that, they left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Thanks to the power of HD graphics, Yu seems to have 90-20's jazz albums in his room in Inaba.
> 
> (2) Ren is the leader, so he should start the discussions.
> 
> (3) Based on the books in his room and several of his dialogue choices, he seems to have at least a basic knowledge of Korean, Spanish, and French. 
> 
> (4) So... Yu was gonna be called Seer, and then Obsidian hit me. It works too well. It is rare to find extremely old obsidian, as it is destroyed quickly by the weather. As Makoto talked about, It was believed to bring clarity to the mind. Black is the most common color of obsidian. Sometimes, it can also be brown, tan, or green. Rarely, obsidian can be blue, red, orange, or *yellow*. Against what Minecraft says, obsidian isn't very strong. It has a hardness of about 5.5 which makes it easy to scratch. It also lacks toughness and is easily broken or chipped upon impact. Witch, kind fits Yu...
> 
> (5) We have our first new Persona! The Gog-Hoor!
> 
> The Gog-hoor is a creature of the Cthulhu mythos that exists in a reverse dimension and can only see and interact with another reality through reflections.
> 
> According to Malleus Monstrorum, the Gog-Hoor is an impossibly large Great Old One. This being feeds on madness, after seeing its prey through a puddle or mirror it drives the victim insane through dreams. Once the victim is insane the Gog-Hoor reduces them to a puddle of flesh and blood and sucks them into Its home dimension.
> 
> The Gog-Hoor is described in Weston Ochse's The Spectacle of a Man.
> 
> "Its head was immense. More than a dozen wide blue eyes watched him, expectant, loving, and patient. Bullet-shaped, the mouth was more a proboscis that opened and closed in such a regular motion that it seemed to be speaking to him. Beneath the enormous head stretched a body that disappeared into eternity. "
> 
> Also, while we're here, there's a creature called the Yug-Siturath, witch, is... hehe, also called The All-Consuming Fog.
> 
> Stats (Shadow):
> 
> Arcana: Aeon.
> 
> Level: 79
> 
> Absorb: Psy
> 
> Resist: Fire, Ice.
> 
> Weak: Wind, Elec
> 
> Type: Gloomy
> 
> Moves:
> 
> Stagnant Air: Increase susceptibility to all ailments of all foes and allies.  
> Tentarafoo: Inflict Confuse (medium odds) to all foes.  
> Brain Jack: Inflict Brainwash (medium odds) to all foes.  
> Mapsiodyne: Heavy Psy damage to all foes.
> 
> (6): Yes, those are the background words.
> 
>   
> I know Kaguya is one: In royal as DLC, and Two: the ultimate Persona of the Aeon Arcana. But this is fanfiction, and you're just gonna have to suck it up. (Mostly because someone found a better ultimate.)
> 
> Arcana: Aeon.
> 
> Stats:
> 
> Level (Ren currently has): 83, boosted to 84 thanks to Arcana Brust.
> 
> Persona Trait: Inviolable Beauty: Triples Counter damage. Also boosts damage from repelling Physical attacks and Repel Phys.
> 
> Block: Bless, Curse, Wind
> 
> Weak: Fire
> 
> Current Moves:
> 
> Purifying Rain: Medium Bless damage to all foes 6x to 8x. (Mutihiting attacks do more damage than one hit attacks. This is why Hassou Tobi is so powerful.) (Innate)  
> Makougaon: Heavy Bless damage to all foes. (Innate)  
> Mahamaon: Medium chance of instantly killing all foes. (Innate)  
> High Counter: 20% chance of reflecting a physical attack. (Innate)  
> Spell Master: Halves SP cost for magic skills. (84)
> 
>   
> By the way, yes, for all those who are going to ask, I am planning on a Strikers squeal. It's left pretty vague whether or not the game is Post-Royal or Post-vanilla, which gives me plenty of room to work with.
> 
> So, included the Link rebirth with Sumire, mostly because I wanted to show that I based Yu's one off of it. As for her true awakening, I wasn't totally sure how to write it, because, obviously, they can't hear the Persona dialog and see what she saw, but I wanted to include it away ways, so I just included the dialog, but the PT didn't hear it.
> 
> As for Yu... Yeah, the poor boy doesn't get any of this. 
> 
> Sracped dialog:
> 
> And now... we need a codename for you. 
> 
> Kingpin.
> 
> PLEASE NO.
> 
> Why?
> 
> You would feel the same if you've been called the *ahem* Sister Complex Kingpin of Steel before.
> 
> Oh my god... pfff!
> 
> Yeah, so please don't call me that.
> 
> I don't even want to know how you got that title.


	12. Catnapping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:  
> Ren: Come on and slam, and welcome to the jam.
> 
> Ren: Otherwise known as our dungeon crawling.
> 
> Yu: What the firck have I gotten myself into.
> 
> Ren: Once a thief, always a thief.
> 
> ~~~~  
> This Chapter: Catnapping.
> 
> Rest time.
> 
> AKA: Ren speedruns bonds. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have really important news.
> 
> The main URL for AO3 is now blocked for me. I'm using https://ao3-cn.top/ now. I don't know how much longer until I'm found out. Addiltoy, I'm pretty sure I have Seasonal affective disorder, but for fall and winter, so it's really throwing me off that I seem to be in a depressive episode now.
> 
> So... sorry if my uploads aren't fast at all.

* * *

**Music:** **Beneath the Mask (P5)/Ferrofluid - Theme of Reality (DM DOKURO)/Silence before the Storms (DM DOKURO, Terraria Calamity mod)**

* * *

**Leblanc Attic.**

* * *

"Sumire and Yu are quite Powerful," Morgana said " **I knew** I made the right choice! **I've got eyes for talents!"**

" _Pff_ , _okay_ , kitty, keep stroking your ego." Ren jokingly replied.

" **Hey!** Are You teasing me again?" Morgana complained. "Whatever, you have school tomorrow. Don't stay up too late."

"By that, you mean, **go to bed.** " Ren deadpanned.

" **Yep.** " Morgana nodded backed. "We're gonna get pretty busy. We need to rest well."

_Incoming Group Text_

_Sumire: I'd just like to thank everyone for letting me join the team, I'm glad to be here!_

_Sumire: I'll do my best to pull my weight!_

_Haru: We're happy to have you!_

_Ann: Yeah, Welcome!_

_Ann: But You can loosen up a little, okay?_

_Ann: Don't worry about being so formal!_

_Sumire: I'm sorry! I'll try to address that in the future._

_Yu: It had no effect!_

_Futaba: Yu, Use Odor Sleuth!_

_Yu: I don't have that move._

_Futaba: Then use Foresight or Miracle Eye!_

_Yu: Those I also wouldn't have._

_Ryuji: Anyways..._

_Ryuji: We got another teammate now!_

_Ryuji: I'm not complaining about our sudden group expansion._

_Makoto: Indeed._

_Makoto: We're glad to have you as well, Yoshizawa-san._

_Sumire: Well, as long as we're dropping the formalities..._

_Sumire: You don't have to bother with the Honorifics if it's okay. I'd like everyone to just call me Sumire._

_Makoto: If you're sure, then..._

_Makoto: Once again, welcome to the team, Sumire._

_Ren: Yes, welcome, Summy._

_Ryuji: There goes Ren, trying to flirt with literally everybody again._

_Yu: XD_

_Futaba: Yu is worthy!_

_Sumire: Thank You!_

_Sumire: Oh, about tomorrow- are we all going to that Mementos place? (I think that was the name?)_

_Yusuke: That's an option._

_Yusuke: But we still have plenty of time._

_Yusuke: We don't need to attempt an infiltration if we're not wholly prepared._

_Ryuji: Yeah, that's Ren's call._

_Ryuji: We'll be counting on you more than ever!_

_Ren: I will always have your backs!_

_Sumire: I'm ready any time!_

"We've got more firepower now, but our target this time is **so much more** powerful than any we've faced so far." Morgana said, "We should probably get ourselves as ready as possible like Yusuke said." 

Ren was about to put away his phone... but then...

_**Direct Texts.** _

_Yu: Hey,_

_Yu: If you're not busy right now,_

_Yu: Want to hang out?_

_Ren: Cat says I have to do to sleep._

_Ren: And I think if I don't..._

_Ren: He'll drag me back into bed._

_Yu: ..._

_Yu: Wow, that is not normal cat behavior,_

_Yu: Yet again, Mona-kun isn't exactly a full cat, either._

_Yu: If we're not going to go into that place,_

_Yu: How about tomorrow?_

_Ren: Sure._

_Yu: I'll be available all day tomorrow, so you can stop by when you want._

* * *

**_1/13_ **

**Music: So Boring (P5)/Specialist (P4. Play the dancing if you so want...)**

* * *

_Haru: Does the school's Atmosphere seem... different to anyone else?_

_Yusuke: "Atmosphere" Being?_

_Haru: The general mood, I suppose. Everyone seems so happy._

_Haru: Some of them seem like entirely new people, even._

_Yu: Can say that for my cats._

_Ann: I've been seeing it too. Do you think this is Dr.Maruki's influence?_

_Akechi: If their stories and circumstances seem radically different from before, it's a safe bet._

_Ryuji: Shit. This is all so crazy..._

_Ryuji: Ren, let us know if we're going to Mementos._

_Ren: Speaking of that..._

_Ren: Mishma says that there are still are few requests on the Phansite,_

_Ren: And Morgana says it might be possible to still change their hearts._

_Ren: So, let's wait a few days to gather some intel._

_Ryuji: Well, we can be at the hideout anytime._

_Sumire: Hideout?_

_Ryuji: What's up?_

_Sumire: Where are you all gathering?_

_Ren: At Leblanc._

_Sumire: Is that best? It's a public cafe..._

_Yu: That's what I always think._

_Futaba: It's cool. No customers around, anyway._

_Ryuji: We're always there anyway._

_Ren: Oh no,_

_Ren: She gonna learn all the horrible truths_

_Ren: That we just a rag-tag team of idiots!_

_Ren: This whole time!_

_Ann: I hear Ren trying not to laugh in class._

_Ann: These a reason we sometimes call him,_

_Ann: the silly little Ren._

_Yu: Hehe._

* * *

_**Evening.** _

_**Music: Beneath the Mask (P5)/Ferrofluid - Theme of Reality (DM DOKURO)/Silence before the Storms (DM DOKURO, Terraria Calamity mod)** _

* * *

It turns out, that Yu likes to hang out at Akihabara during the Evenings. Ren rushed over there as soon as he saw him.

"Hey, sorry." Ren panted. "Ann wanted to talk with me, now she's got another Persona."

"Oh, okay." Yu smiled. "I honestly should be preparing to get ready to fight Maruki, but..."

"You gotta take breaks." Ren smiled back at him. "You do use a lot of energy using that... _powerful attack_."

"Fair point," Yu replied. "So... what do you want to do?"

* * *

_**Music: Like a Dream Come True (P4)/What's Going On? (P5)** _

* * *

"We can cook, play with the cats, maybe play some video games?" Yu looked around.

"You play video games?" Ren then paused, "Wait, you were making Pokemon jokes."

"Yep." Yu Nodded. "The game I have the most hours on is [The Binding of Issac.](https://store.steampowered.com/app/250900/The_Binding_of_Isaac_Rebirth/) I'm just waiting for [Repentance](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1426300/The_Binding_of_Isaac_Repentance/) to come out, now."

" _Oh, umm..._ " Yu quickly added, "Games got a lot of blood, very long, and pretty dark. Not sure if that's something you're into"

"...Not something I expect _out of you._ " Ren blankly stated. "I mean...that's named after a bible story."

"If it makes you feel better, the game features [Satan](https://bindingofisaacrebirth.gamepedia.com/Satan) and the [Major Arcana](https://bindingofisaacrebirth.gamepedia.com/Cards_and_Runes#Major_Arcana_Cards)," Yu calmly says with a smile that **_somewhat_** freaks out Ren.

"Yeah... you got anything else?" Ren says.

"I still need to beat [Little Nightmares 2](https://store.steampowered.com/app/860510/Little_Nightmares_II/)." Yu pulls its box out from a shelf. "Then I can finally get on to [**OMORI**](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1150690/OMORI/)."

_**(AN: No, I'm not going to spoil the game. But there is a reason I chose those.)** _

"♪ Behold the past, the time before the maw. What is behind the door that you saw?" Yu sings quietly "The pale city opens its doors to you, Step inside and [discover the truuuuth!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usgkhTtszeo) ♪"

"Wow, your _**good**_." Ren comments.

" _Oh._.. _hehe_." Yu slightly blushes. "I was just singing something someone else made. I guess that's what happens when your wife is Rise and she talks you out to karaoke a lot."

**"Wait, wait,"** Ren starts, _**"Your wife is Risette?!"**_

"Yeah." Yu simply replies. "I usually don't tell people that, so my full- _legal_ name is Yu Kujikawa-Narukami. It's mostly because there's no way I'd get around well if I promoted that."

"Fair point," Ren says. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your birth name?"

Yu grunted a bit. "Yu Seta."

Ren gave him an empathetic look. That meant... **_was Yu adopted?_**

"You're probably a bit confused." Yu stared down. "I... when I was 18... I decided to run. **(1)** I was so tired of... being toss around places, that I went "Srecw it, I'll live on my own." I lived in my dorm and worked about 17 hours a day. It helps when you can cook."

"You... You managed eating, working, and school on your own?" Ren asked.

" **I was 7! I was 7 when I learned how to read English! I was 8 when I learned how to cook things even master chefs struggle with!"** Yu suddenly shouted. **"For all my childhood, I was alone! _Parents?! Caregivers?! What are those?!"_**

Yu then looked down again. " _Sorry..._ I shouldn't have outbursted at you like that. It's just... when I moved to Inaba... sure, there was a murder there, but that was the first time... _i..._ I truly felt what it was like to have a family. Someone who cared for me. Even if they were busy a lot of the time... it sure as _**hell**_ beat being alone for 12 hours. It's no surprise I ran a year after."

" _Heh...look at me._ " Yu shook his head. " _Breaking down._ Your 4 years younger than me. _Maybe... maybe it's because... well...you just... listen._ People say I have that trait too, but what do you do when others expect you to be _perfect... and you have to deal with your own problems... without being able to tell others because you're worried that they leave you if you do?"_

"You know I'll always listen." Ren simply said.

**"** I know," Yu said. **"** _But..._ _I_ also don't like being a burden. I don't like the idea of myself looking weak. But... here we are. And being alone for so long... was just too much. I've always wanted someone to be here with me..." **(2)**

"...your often lonely," Ren said as he stared at Yu.

"I know." Yu sighed. "Just... that was my own problem. It's true, I have come a long way from where I used to be, but... _Nevermind_." Yu shakes his head again. "Your here for a different reason, right? Let's play."

* * *

_**Yu's natural confidence isn't something he belive he truly has...** _

**Rank up!**

**_The Anon: Rank 4:_ **

**Psychology Talk: If negotiation with any kind of Shadow other than Irritable types fails, Joker can try again.**

* * *

_"Oh... by the way_... can I ask something?" Yu asked.

"Sure," Ren replies.

"So... I'm assuming that Haru has other family and friends looking after her, but what about Yusuke?" Yu said. " ** _Basically_**... what I'm saying is... is Yusuke an orphan?"

"You're a pretty good guesser." Ren nodded. "He lives in the dormitories of Kosei High School right now."

"I thought so. **Then I'll be direct** ," Yu stated. "I'm Considering adoption once this is all done. There's gonna be a lot of legal paperwork, and he's coming of age in about 4 years, but I still want to do what I can."

**"But your 22!"** Ren exclaimed in shock. " _ **I mean, not that I'm against it, but isn't that a little young!? You've only been an adult for 2 years! And usually isn't that something you decide over a long time?!"**_

_"Legally."_ Yu's tone suddenly got dark. "But I do have practice taking care of other people. And pretty much, from the getgo, me and Rise decided we would be adopting."

"Speaking of Risette, where is she?" Ren asked.

"On a world tour." 

"Oh, okay." Ren nodded. "So... when do you plan to tell Yusuke?"

"Soon." Yu replied, "Very soon."

"Well... all I can say is... _thank you_ ," Ren said. "The Phantom thieves tend to have issues with adults, but-"

"Okay, Am I really an adult?" Yu chuckled.

" **No, not really.** " Ren laughed.

**_I enjoyed some time with Yu._ **

* * *

_**1/14** _

_**Music: Kichijoji 199X (P5R)** _

* * *

Ren hanged out with Sumire this time... and couldn't stop drawing comparisons.

Sumire lived under the shadow of her sister who was described as perfect, and yet... Yu seemed perfect, but he was definitely far from it.

However, even with the new request for the Phansite that was... well... horrible, it was darts time!

Ren picked up his phone. He had called Sumire, so let's see if Yu wanted to play as well.

_**"Oh, sure!"** _He cheered from the phone _"I'll come over."_

Ryuji also came over.

* * *

_"Shall we?"_ Yu asked after Ren finished with Sumire. **"I'd go through 501 too fast, so 701."**

" **Got it.** You gonna go up first?" Ren asked

"I'd like it if you would." Yu smiled. 

Ren pulls out his darts. He first lands a dart in the outer bullseye, and the rest in the inner bullseye, getting a low-ton hat trick and having the dartboard light up.

"Nice." Yu claps. **"Let me show you how I play."**

The two high five before Yu pushes in his glasses and pulls out his darts.

He lands them all in the inner bullseye, getting 3 in the black, with the dartboard having a light show. ~~(number 2, my lap is yours).~~

"Only 401 points left to go. Think you can do it?"

"Not going to lie, _**your good at this,**_ " Ren commented.

_"So are you."_ Yu smiled.

They exchange another high five before Ren takes out the darts, landing the same as Yu.

"Good job. It's time for my final round." Yu pulls out his darts. "You know, if I fail this, you make sure to pick it up for me."

_"You won't."_

" **Haha** , thanks."

_Dart 1..._

**Bullseye.**

_Dart 2..._

**Bullseye.**

_Dart 3..._

**Bullseye!**

_"Alright! Ren, are you ready?"_

**"Ready as I'll ever be!"**

"Good luck."

Ren did two 20's, and a 1, ending it at a zero.

"Nice! That was a fun game!" Yu smiled. "Thank you for letting me play. I definitely felt like I learned something today"

_**Baton rank up to 3!** _

* * *

_**1/16.** _

_**Music: Like a Dream Come True (P4)/What's Going On? (P5)** _

* * *

_Ren: Hey..._

_Ren: So..._

_Ren: Yusuke wants to talk with me._

_Ren: Do you want to tell him now?_

_Yu: Well..._

_Yu: Umm..._

_Yu: Not really._

_Yu: I should probably wait until we're clear._

_Ren: Fair point._

_Yu: By the way..._

_Yu: Are you busy tonight?_

_Ren: Not really._

_Yu: Alright then._

_Yu: I need to talk to you._

* * *

"What's up?" Ren asked.

" ** _I need to get something off my chest_** ," Yu replied.

"So, what is it?" Ren smiled.

_**"This... this is far from my first time with a Persona."** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can make references to other games and no one can stop me!
> 
> (1) The legal age of adulthood in Japan was 20 in 2016. In 2018, the Japanese government approved an amendment to the country’s civil code which will drop the age of legal adulthood by two years, to 18, on April 1, 2022.
> 
> (2) Yu admitted to viewing himself as a weak person and getting his strength from his bonds and being accepted by others in Persona Q.
> 
> I love how Yu is a Foil to Sumire. Sumire was living under the shadow of her sister, who was described as perfect, so she got a complex because of that. Yu is often described as perfect, but we all know that just isn't the case. He views himself as a vulnerable person, like Sumire. Yu has “swag” or is “pimping” because he is a dork. It’s the fact that he’s completely honest and sincere that makes people come to him. He’s not some badass, he’s a complete wreck that finds the people that appreciate him for who he is because he chose to finally open up.
> 
> I didn't plan this, but it's amazing.
> 
> Other than that, Yu's basically just available the whole day.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed it so far, feel free to leave Kudos! They mean a lot to me.


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